The Order of Things
by ashleezak
Summary: Time is a delicate thing, and Rose learned the hard way not to mess with it. What happens when the Doctor makes the same mistake? Post Journey's End, so spoilers. 10, New 10, Rose, Torchwood crew, Donna and family, Jenny. WARNING: Character Death
1. Chapter 1

_Author's Notes_

_Doctor Who, et al., belongs to the BBC. No money being made on my end. I'm just playing in their world._

_Now that the technicalities are out of the way, there are a couple of things to cover. The T rating is for implied sexual content and character death. This is a completed story and will be updated as regularly as possible. Enjoy._

The Order of Things

Rose Tyler ran down the corridor, hand clenched happily in another one. She chanced a glance to the side, grinning at her running partner. The Doctor had an ecstatic look on his face as their footsteps pounded in unison. The commotion behind them reminded them to not slow down.

Matching trainers slid around the corner as they tried to lose their pursuers. The Doctor pulled Rose into the first door to the side. It led into a classroom that had two doors at the back. Dodging the desks, they made for them. The first one was locked, and the Doctor immediately pulled out his sonic screwdriver. Or rather, his third attempt at rebuilding it. The light sputtered as Rose ran past and tried the next door.

"Doctor! Here!"

They ducked into the dark room, and the Doctor locked the door from the inside with the screwdriver.

"I guess it's much better at locking than unlocking," he said, panting as he tried to catch his breath.

"I just hope you can get it unlocked," Rose said, heaving just as hard.

Their lives in the six months since Darlig Ulv Stranden, take two, had been one adventure after another. Neither of them felt comfortable just sitting still and living life day to day, so they threw themselves into their jobs as Torchwood. In fact, Rose had gone to Pete within a week of settling into this parallel world. After that discussion, Torchwood had announced the new First Contact Team, which consisted of just the Doctor and Rose. They had the fastest transportation available and spent their days traveling the Earth, searching for signs of alien influence, contact, or invasion. It just figured that on one of their brief visits home they were called on again.

"Traskitalians are peaceful. What in the world would make them mount a full-scale invasion?" he asked, pacing around the tiny room.

Rose glared at him. Even as a human, he recovered from exertion much faster than she did, and she was in bloody good shape. "I don't know. Did that name they said mean anything to you?"

He shook his head. "You?"

She shrugged. "Not a thing." Still gasping for breath, she leaned back against the wall. "So, what next?"

The Doctor looked around the room. "Well, we have the stuff here to take them out."

Rose looked up sharply. She met his quirky grin with a frown. "I know. We need to think of something else."

"Definitely." She pulled her mobile out of her pocket and flipped it open. "We've got a signal. How about we just call in the cavalry?"

"Well, if you want to do it the easy way."

She let the relief flow through her at his easy acceptance of her plan. Dialing quickly, she snapped out orders over the link. Once she got confirmation, she slid down onto her bottom and leaned her head back against the wall. "You realize that Mum's going to kill you now, right?"

"What for this time?" he asked, staring down at her in surprise. "I brought you home, just like I promised."

"Yes, but we didn't even get dinner finished when we were called out. If Pete hadn't been called, too, I think she'd have had at you right then and there."

The Doctor sat beside her. "I wasn't the one who got caught grinning at having an excuse to leave," he said, putting his arm around her shoulders and pulling her toward him for a quick kiss on the head.

This new willingness to show his emotions was an adjustment for Rose. She loved the attention, but it was disconcerting at times. Other times, especially at night, she absorbed the affection. Knowing that this man was mortal, just like her, implanted a bit of an irrational fear of losing him. She sighed and leaned closer to him.

They sat there for close to an hour before her phone rang again. Hearing the all clear, they both stood. Rose stretched her stiff muscles while the Doctor worked at unlocking the door. It only took him two tries to get it unlocked.

"Getting closer, then?" she asked as she nodded toward the tool.

"Yeah. Another couple tries and it'll be close to my old one. Of course, the one that River Song had was a lot more advanced…"

"River Song? Who's that?" Rose asked. He still came up with names of people that he'd encountered during her exile, and while a tiny bit of her was jealous that he had shared adventures with others, she grieved with him every time he told her that someone else had died.

"Someone who knew me much better than she should've."

Curious, Rose struggled to give him the space he obviously needed. She could usually tell from his tone who had died because of their contact with him. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be." He stared at her. "Don't apologize to me for not being able to save someone. And River went voluntarily. She made her choice."

She cocked her head. "And you, of course, don't agree with the choice she made. So she must've saved your life."

"Cold-cocked me and handcuffed me to a wall."

Her snort of laughter was out before she could stifle it. "She handcuffed you?"

"Yeah. Don't ask me why she was carrying handcuffs in a library." He sighed as the knob finally turned. "And she didn't die. Not exactly."

Rose turned his face toward her before he could leave the room. "When I say that I'm sorry doesn't mean that I'm apologizing. I'm sharing your sorrow at losing another friend."

He kissed her quickly and crushed her against him. "Thank you."

They left to join their team, who was trying to quietly remove six-foot tall purple-skinned creatures from the building. The ride back to Torchwood was quick, but the debriefing took a bit longer.

"So, these Traskitalians," and even though Pete stumbled over the name, he still got it out respectably, "Are normally peaceful?"

The Doctor nodded. "And their home world isn't even in this galaxy."

"Could they have come from the Rift?" Rose asked.

"I don't see how. There haven't been any abnormal readings indicating anything came through," Pete said.

"Although, a trip through that sort of spatial/temporal conduit could explain their change in behavior. The Traskitalians do have an extremely advanced sense of self-preservation. The shock could've rewired them, so to speak."

"All right. I'll order a full battery of tests on the Rift and the aliens both. In the meantime, you two go downstairs to the car and we'll head back to the house. Jacks will have our heads if we don't get home soon."

They all shared a grin about Jackie's eccentricities before splitting up. The Doctor took Rose's hand and dragged her down the hall to her office. Slamming the door, he pushed her up against the door and kissed her hard.

His mouth on hers made coherent thought difficult, but she finally pulled away. "What are you doing?" she asked before he kissed her again.

Several moments later, she fell forward against him and panted for breath. When she looked up, he had a sheepish grin on his face.

"What?"

The Doctor leaned down and nibbled at her ear as he whispered, "Well, we can't do this at your mother's house."

She laughed. "All right then." Running her hands through his hair, she pulled him down to return the favor. This was the one thing that she'd never regret. To finally get to show physical affection, outside of body possession or life and death situations was worth it. It was nearly enough to be able to forget that this really wasn't _her_ Doctor.

They still made it downstairs before Pete, but not by much. Rose was fairly sure that her father knew about their stop in her office, but he didn't say anything about it. Jackie was understandably upset, but since all three of them showed up in one piece and not covered in blood, slime, or dirt, she let them be.

Rose never understood her mother's reason for it, but since returning back to this world, she had acted like the Doctor and Rose were married, including putting them in the same bedroom. Scratching it up to Pete's influence, she never complained. Instead, she climbed into the huge bed and snuggled under the blankets, waiting for the Doctor to come to bed.

Sleeping side by side had been quite a venture in the beginning. Rose tended to be an active sleeper, but the Doctor was just as bad. After several incidents of fights over blankets and near scuffles over bed space, they finally learned to coexist in the small space.

"I love you," he whispered as he curled around her.

Rose smiled. That was a nightly tradition that she wholly approved of. "I love you too." Sighing happily, she closed her eyes and went to sleep.

It was completely dark, but Rose was used to waking up at all hours and being absolutely alert. With her lifestyle, if she wasn't alert, she was dead. The normal noises of her parents' house came to her ears, but nothing that should have woken her. After a moment, she wondered if Tony had cried out and woken her up, but there was no repeat of the sound.

Sitting up carefully so as not to disturb the Doctor, she stared around into the blackness, wondering what had disturbed her. A mumble from beside her finally clued her in. She lay back down, facing him. He was dreaming.

His first night on this world had been harrowing. As a Time Lord, his dreams were restricted to the limited sleep that he required, but as a human, he had been overwhelmed by the constant bombardment of dreams. Rose knew that destroying the Daleks, _again_, had weighed heavily on him, in spite of what the other Doctor had implied. So she took his nightmares very seriously.

Laying her hand on the side of his face, she could feel the muscles in his face twitching as he suffered through the dream. She frowned as an unintelligible mumble passed his lips. Unable to comfort him in the dream, Rose slid as close to him as she could, trying to warm him up. Despite his mostly human physiology, there were a few traits that were strictly Time Lord, including a lower than normal body temperature.

"No chance, Martian!"

She jumped as the words erupted from her sleeping lover. He'd told her that there were Martians, but he'd also been very clear that they wouldn't contact Earth for another century or so. Rose sighed. She needed to make a few discreet inquiries at the office tomorrow.

"Rose!"

"I'm here," she said, not knowing if he was still dreaming.

He shuddered and pulled her into his arms, clinging to her. Rose kissed wherever she could reach, his shoulder, his neck, his jaw. She simply existed so he could draw strength from her.

"Do you want to talk about it?" she asked quietly.

Shaking his head, he buried his head onto her shoulder. Rose knew that neither of them would sleep the rest of the night, so she opened her mouth to ask him if he wanted her to go put on a pot of tea. His kiss was fierce and completely unexpected.

His stubble ground roughly against her face, but she didn't care. She gave him everything she could. This wasn't the first time they'd made love, but it was certainly the most desperate. He tore at her night shirt, revealing flesh. She ran her hands over his bare shoulders, digging her fingers into his skin. The blankets were quickly kicked off the bed as the Doctor poured everything he could into touching Rose. She reciprocated.

Nearly an hour later, they both lay intertwined, shining with sweat. The Doctor had his face buried in Rose's hair as they both struggled to regain their breath.

"I thought we couldn't do this here," she said with a grin.

He shrugged. "I wasn't really thinking about your mother when I started this." A heavy shudder shook his body. "And that didn't help."

"Are you all right?"

"I'm always all right."

Rose groaned and rolled over. She really hated that little leftover from the Doctor. "I get the shower first," she said.

After a few minutes, she knew that she was no longer alone. Wiping the water away from her eyes, she stared up into his eyes.

"I'm sorry."

"For what?" she asked.

He shrugged uncomfortably. "You take care of me and I have trouble acknowledging that."

A smile lit her face. "I know that," she said, stepping forward and pulling him under the hot water. "But it's still very nice to hear. I don't expect to hear it every time." Seeing the relief on his face, she decided to tease him a bit. "Just don't expect me to take it calmly every time."

The water flattened his hair to his head as she watched him try to ignore her teasing. Rose took pity on him and stepped close, kissing his neck. She slipped behind him and started scrubbing his back, drawing tiny circles around the mole that he'd discovered after his regeneration with such glee. When she let her soapy hands slip lower, he turned back around and pulled her into his arms.

It was nearly dawn when they got down to the kitchen. Rose fixed a quick breakfast while the Doctor sat and drank his tea slowly.

"Still not want to talk about it?" she asked as she sat a plate in front of each of them.

"No." He sipped the tea again before looking at her. "I'm sorry I can't, but this is just something I need to deal with."

She stared before she nodded slowly. "All right. If I can help, then just let me know."

A familiar manic grin lit his tired face. "I will." Their quiet meal was nearly finished before Rose's brother made himself heard.

"Mum'll be down here in a bit," she said. "Tony likes an early breakfast."

"I need to go into Torchwood this morning," he said as he took his dishes to the sink.

"I do, too." When she noticed his surprise, she shrugged. "It can wait, though. Go ahead and I'll meet you there later."

The Doctor nodded before fleeing the kitchen. Despite Jackie's apparent acceptance of him, he still wasn't very comfortable around her. Rose smiled as she watched his quick retreat.

"What's so funny this early?" Jackie asked as she walked in with Tony in her arms.

"Nothing." She reached for the boy as her mother began preparing breakfast. "Oh, who's a big boy this morning?"

"He tore the sheets off his cot again," Jackie complained. "It's so that I have to make up after I get him up every morning." Putting Tony in his seat, she didn't bother to look at Rose as she continued. "Do I have to make up another one this morning?"

Tea shot across the table as Rose choked. Color rushed to her face as she realized that her parents had heard their tryst. Coughing to clear her throat, she finally spoke. "He had another nightmare, Mum."

"And that was his way of coping?" She shook her head as she spooned cereal into her son's waiting mouth. "You can pick them."

"Hey, he's nothing like Jimmy," Rose said in protest.

Jackie stared seriously at her daughter. "I don't mean it like that. I know this one's human, but he's too much like the other one, and that one couldn't give you what you need."

"He gives me what I need, Mum."

"Sweetheart, I don't just mean sex."

"Mum!" Rose tried to communicate her convictions to her mother. "He tells me he loves me. More than that, he _shows_ me. And that's something that the other Doctor never did."

"All right. I know when I'm beaten." She wiped the excess cereal off of Tony's face before handing him his cup. "So, what does he dream about?"

Rose shrugged. "Different things. Sometimes it's about friends who have left. People he couldn't save. Things like that."

"And what was last night's then?"

"He wouldn't say."

Jackie put her hand on her daughter's. "Far be it for me to tell you how to live your life." She barely paused for Rose's sarcastic snort. "You'll do what you want, and I've finally come to terms with that. If he'd come back for you before this, I'd have hugged you goodbye and sent you off. But I can still see some things that you can't.

"This one. He'll get you killed, and that's what scares me. You two live too close to the edge, and one day one of you is going to slip. Either way, I lose you." Tony's impatient cry forced her to look away from Rose and back to the boy's food.

There wasn't much she could say in defense of that one. "I'm sorry, Mum. But I know what I have to do." She smiled sadly. "And I know that you'd have done the same thing if it were Dad."

Jackie smiled. Most of the time, Rose called him by his given name, but every once in a while, she would give in. Pete had given her permission to call him whatever she wanted, and in a business situation, she had avoided a few of the nepotism charges by never calling him Dad. They got on well, though. For Jackie, it was simply a relief that she finally had the family she'd wanted.

"Listen. I need to go in to the office today." Seeing her mother's frown gathering, Rose grinned. "I won't be long. I promise. A couple hours, tops."

"I swear your father's been a horrible influence on you. Oh, go on with you. We'll be here when you get back."

"Thanks, Mum." She kissed her mother on the cheek and dashed up to her room.

The Doctor's coat and trainers were missing, so she knew that he'd already left. Hoping that he didn't need her office, _their_ office, she corrected herself mentally, she pulled on her leather coat and shoes and left.

Torchwood was her home away from home. It had been the only place that she had felt alive when she first got here, and after the goodbye on the beach, it had been her sanity. Mickey had understood and had helped her find something to focus on. When the darkness had started snuffing out stars, she had been the first to volunteer to go back to warn the Doctor.

Seeing him had been the best moment of her life. She had never realized that missing someone could actually be physically painful, but the flood of joy and relief when she saw him start running for her had nearly choked her. His near regeneration had frightened years off of her life, and then the sight of two of them had added confusion to the mix. It had taken nearly a week for her emotions to settle to anywhere near normal.

Having a new Doctor to look after helped. Rose smiled at the lift walls as she considered her new life. Yes, she still missed the Doctor and the TARDIS, but it could have been worse. The lift doors opened, and she walked toward Pete's office.

"I'm sorry, Miss Tyler," the receptionist said, stopping her before she could get to the closed door. "Mr. Tyler's in a meeting."

"Oh." She was surprised. "Who's in with him?"

"Mr. Smith."

Startled, Rose shrugged. "Fine, then." She turned on her heel and headed down to the holding cells where the Traskitalians were being processed.

"Hey, Rose," Jake called when she walked into the control room.

"Hi," she said. "So, anything about these ones?"

"Other than the fact that they're purple?" His cheeky grin hid a lot, but she saw more of him than he realized. "Not really. We tested them for residue from the Rift, but nothing has showed up."

She knew that he missed Mickey nearly as much as she did. The three of them had grown together as mates over the last couple years, even though there was no hint of romance between them. He hadn't been very surprised, though, when Rose returned without Mickey.

"Have we translated anything else?"

"Yeah, actually. They keep saying something about a lance." Jake shook his head. "These blokes are miles ahead of us technologically. Why would they be going on about a lance?"

Rose frowned. "I don't know. Are you sure they're saying lance?"

"Not positive. The Doctor worked on this translation program, but it's nowhere near complete. And they weren't even in the protocol when we started it. So with them, it's back to square one."

"Right." She stared through the monitor into one of the cells, where the tallest one stared up at her uncannily. "I'll be right back."

"Rose! Don't do anything stupid, or else Jackie will have me," Jake said.

"I'm just going down to look." She grinned. "Look, no touch. I promise."

"Fine."

She threw a quick one-armed hug around his shoulders and squeezed him. "Thanks."

He shook his head at her. "One of these days, Rose."

"But not today," she said as she left the room. It probably wasn't fair of her to tease him like that, but she missed Mickey and he was the next best substitute. She paused before entering the passageway between the cells. The one that had looked at her before had moved to the front of the group and was waiting for her.

"When we saw you earlier, you said the name Aelica. What does that mean?" She stared up at the creature, who returned her stare calmly. "Can you understand me?"

The Traskitalian spoke, and for its large and rough appearance, its voice was quiet. "Estivalia oark tannick falla Rose."

She blinked. "You said my name. How do you know that?"

"Bessimil."

Rose shook her head. "I'm sorry. I don't understand your language."

"Nalileh crasi language."

"You're learning English as we speak," she said, watching the alien.

"We're learning English as we speak."

A smile brightened her face. "He didn't say anything about your language skills. What's your name?"

"Bessimil," the alien said.

"You said that earlier. So your name is Bessimil?"

"Yes."

"While I'm thrilled that we can communicate, I need to ask. Why did a peaceful group like you try to invade us?"

"No invasion."

"Well, for someone not invading, you brought a big enough force and too many guns for comfort."

"I don't understand your statement."

Rose laughed ruefully. "Sorry. I guess sarcasm doesn't translate. We'll try this again. If you aren't invading, then what are you doing here?"

"We are messengers."

"Okay, so what's the message?"

The Traskitalian leaned toward her. "She is dying.

"Who is?"

"She is. The Savior. She is dying."

Trying to control her irritation, she sighed. "But who is the Savior?"

"You know her. You saved her."

The aliens drew back into the center of their cells. By the time that Rose had processed the formation, the transmat had taken all of them.

"No!" she shouted, pounding on the doors as she watched them vanish. Turning back toward the camera, she screamed, "Jake! Get the doors open!"

"They're already gone, Rose."

Frustrated, she kicked the door, ignoring the pain in her foot. She stomped back up to the control room. "How did they manage to transmat out of here?"

"There's a ship leaving orbit right now," Jake said. "They're gone."

She sighed and collapsed into a seat. "Well, did you at least get our conversation on tape?"

"For all the good it does us."

"I know. Who's the Savior?" Rose asked.

Jake stared at her. "What are you talking about?"

"Apparently, there was no invasion. They're messengers. Bloody cryptic messenger," she said. Looking up at her friend, she frowned at his expression. "What?"

"Rose, we taped every word that passed between you. But we can't understand a bloody thing you're saying."

"What? We were speaking English."

"No, you weren't. You were speaking whatever they were."

"That's impossible," she said as she stood up and stood beside him.

He brought up the image on the monitor and turned the volume up high. Rose listened in confusion. "Is that the program working?" she asked.

"Doing what? I can understand you for the first few statements and then you start talking like them."

"No, they started speaking Eng…" She stared at the monitor. "Run it back. To the very beginning of when I went down there."

"You got it." As the playback started, she lost the color in her face.

"_When we saw you earlier, you said the name Aelica. What does that mean? _ _Can you understand me?"_

"_We seek the one called Rose."_

"_You said my name. How do you know that?"_

"_Bessimil."_

"_I'm sorry. I don't understand your language."_

"_But you speak our language."_

"_You're learning English as we speak."_

"_We're learning English as we speak."_

"_He didn't say anything about your language skills. What's your name?"_

"_Bessimil." _

"_You said that earlier. So your name is Bessimil?"_

"_Yes."_

"I understand it," she whispered. "I understand it all."

"Rose, what was said?" Jake asked.

She filled him in on the conversation quickly. He sighed and played it back one more time, but it still didn't mean any more to him than it did the first time. "Well, we're going to have to take your word on this one."

Shaking her head, she stared blankly at the monitor, although there were only empty cells showing. "I haven't done that since I was in the TARDIS last. And there's no TARDIS in this world."

"So I guess the big question is who gets to tell Pete."

Rose looked up. "I will." Trying to plaster a cheery smile on her face, she said, "It'll be fine. I promise."

"That's what you said when the stars started going out," Jake said.

"Well, we saved the world, didn't we? So there. I was right."

"Good luck, Rose. Seriously."

"Thanks."

As she left the control room, Rose thought about the warning. Who was the Savior? The use of the female pronoun confused her. She obviously wasn't the one they were talking about, since they warned her. As for her saving the Savior, Rose wasn't any clearer. She'd saved a lot of women over the years; mostly with the Doctor, but quite a few on her own.

Her first thought was that the Doctor was the Savior, but he was obviously male. She sighed. Maybe he would be able to add something to this mystery. Walking past Pete's door showed that he and the Doctor were still meeting, so she just headed to her office. Sitting behind her desk, she tried to turn her mind away from the Traskitalians.

The Doctor's nightmare came back to her, so she typed Martians into her computer. The database was patchy, considering most of the information came from either her or the Doctor, and he hadn't had much time to devote to the programs. Nothing looked out of the ordinary, so she put in a request to have her contacted the minute any activity was logged.

Her door opened and the Doctor walked in. He looked even more tired than he had that morning, but when he saw her a grin lit up his face. "I'd forgotten that you were coming in," he said. Walking around and leaning against her desk, he leaned forward. "Let's go get some chips. My treat."

"Oh, really?" Rose asked with a grin of her own. "And when's the last time that you actually did treat?"

"Well, there was that time in Australia, oh, no, wait. You did pay for those. What about the time in Seattle? I paid for those!"

"With money you found on the street." Rose pulled him down to her and kissed him. "The answer is yes, by the way. I'm starved."

"Are you done here?" he asked belatedly.

"All done. I'm yours for the rest of the day," she said brightly.

He grinned, and she wondered if she'd imagined the exhaustion. She smiled as he stood and shoved his hands in his pockets and rocked up on the balls of his feet. While the wardrobe had changed somewhat, although his trademark trainers remained firmly in place, this Doctor seemed a lot more casual, forgoing the suit for jeans and tee shirts. Since he didn't have access to the long trench coat, he prowled through second hand stores until he found a long, black leather coat. She liked the change, which combined a bit of both of her Doctors.

His mannerisms hadn't changed, though, as she rounded the desk and took the hand that he offered her. Hand-holding was still the standard. Ignoring the looks that they still got every now and then, they left Torchwood behind and strolled down the street toward their favorite haunt.

"So, how long is Jackie going to make us stay this time?" he asked as he speared a chip with his fork.

"I don't know. We managed to run out on our first night, so she probably will insist on a week."

She hid a grin at his grimace. "I'm sure we can figure out something to do so we don't have to be with her all the time. Like taking Tony out for an afternoon."

"Why doesn't she have a nanny?"

"Despite being rich, she's done so much on her own for so long, I think she just likes to take care of things now." Rose laughed. "You should've seen some of the fights her and Pete would get into when we first got here."

"And here I thought that they'd have just gotten on perfectly," he said.

"Nope. Pete was used to posh Jackie, so when Mum got here and went around doing everything by hand, he had a horrible time trying to bring her out of the council estate. On the other hand, she was impossibly quick to remind him that his posh wife went and got herself killed and that if he wanted her, he'd take her any way he could get her."

"But he got her," the Doctor said.

"He sure did. They're actually talking about having another baby." Rose shook her head. "After all the times that Mum paraded men through that little flat with no babies and she gets with Pete and starts popping them out."

"She had to wait for the right man, even if it was the same man." The Doctor met Rose's eyes, and she pulled back a bit from the intensity of his gaze. "Have you ever thought about being a mother?"

"I…" She sat with her mouth open for a moment. "I suppose I have. When I was in school, I thought I wanted kids. After I met you, though, never really thought about it."

"Why not?"

She laughed self-consciously. "We were having too much fun. And beside, the TARDIS is not exactly the safest environment for a baby."

"Fair point."

"Besides," she said around a mouthful of food, "Wasn't entirely sure that we were compatible."

He choked at her words and changed the subject. "So, what do you think we need to do with the Traskitalians."

"Don't think we need to worry about them."

The Doctor stared at her suspiciously. "Rose?"

She looked up at him. "They're gone."

"Gone? Where? When?"

"Yes, to a ship that's already beyond our satellite range, and just before I went up to my office."

"Did they get anything from the tests they ran?" he asked.

Rose shook her head. "Just sit still. They weren't here as an invasion force."

"That's all well and good, but we still need to determine if they came through the Rift or not and what do you mean that they weren't here as an invasion force?"

"They told me."

His mouth fell open before he recovered. "No way!"

"Okay, the Donna-isms are still weird coming from your mouth," she said with a grin. "I can so hear her saying that."

"I don't care right now. You talked to them? Did that program work?"

"Nope. It was just me."

"You talked to them. Like when you were in the TARDIS?"

She sipped from her straw before shaking her head. "Not really. I didn't understand them to start with. And then I thought that they were figuring out how to speak English, not that I was speaking their language. But anyway, they said that they were just messengers. And once they gave me the message they were gone. Transmat, by the way. Anyway, when I watched the recording, I could understand stuff I couldn't the first time."

The Doctor stared at her. "Are you all right? Did they touch you or anything?"

"Nope. I swear, I just went down there to see what they knew about that name." She nicked the last chip from the basket before she went on. "I never did find out what they meant by that."

"So, they just gave you a message and then left?"

"Yep."

"What was the message?"

"Oh. They said that she is dying. The Savior is dying. Whoever that is." Rose shrugged. "I don't have a clue. I don't know any woman who could be referred to as savior."

The Doctor frowned. "I can think of a few," he said. "None of which I'm in a position to contact, except you."

"Now I do know it's not me. Bessimil said that I'd saved her at one point."

"You've saved her?"

"Yeah. So it makes it kind of unlikely that it's me." Rose shook her cup, settling the ice so she could get to the last bit of soda. "And saving people? I don't keep track, so no help there."

He sat there while she threw their rubbish away. "So, we really have nothing to do now?"

"Well, I did promise Mum that I'd be back this afternoon, but you don't have to come back."

"Nonsense. To Jackie's we go."

Rose bit back a giggle at his depressed attitude and offered her hand. "Maybe we can go shopping first." It was amusing how he quickly he accepted her offer, and she hailed a cab to take them downtown.


	2. Chapter 2

_AN: Thank you lyin' and peppermints and cotton candy for the reviews. _

"He did it, Granddad! He asked me!" Donna said as she ran up to her grandfather. She held out her hand excitedly. "Ben finally asked me!"

"Well, it's about time," Wilf said as he struggled to his feet. He engulfed her in as big a hug as he could. "I'm so happy for you, Donna."

"Oh, I can't wait to tell Carol. She'll be so jealous." Even through her excitement, she noticed that the old man wasn't reacting as much as she expected. "Are you all right, then?"

"I'm fine. Go celebrate with your mother. I'll be down in a bit." He saw her questioning look and waved her on. "Go on. I just need to put my equipment away."

"All right. Don't be up here too long." She squeezed him one more time and took off back down the path.

Wilf sank into his chair and stared up at the sky. It hurt so much to watch Donna live day after day without ever remembering that she not only saved the Earth, but she saved the whole universe. The Doctor was insistent that this was the only way, though.

However, Sylvia had managed to learn from the situation. Although she and Donna weren't particularly close, she had made an effort to show her daughter some approval.

The grinding noise wasn't unexpected. He glanced down to make sure that Donna was safely in the house. "Cutting it kind of close, aren't you?" he asked.

"I've been watching for a while," the Doctor said, sinking into the spare folding chair that Wilf kept up there for Donna.

"That young man did it. He went and asked her."

The alien sat and stared up at the stars for a long moment before speaking. "I'm glad she's moving on."

"Doctor, are you sure?"

"Yes." He sighed heavily. "I would give anything to be able to pull her back into the TARDIS and just head out there. But I can't be responsible for another death."

"I can appreciate that." Wilf added his own sigh. "I just miss the new Donna. She grew up so much with you."

"I know. Truth be told, she was one of the few people who could stand up to me when I was wrong."

"That girl Rose was one, wasn't she?"

The Doctor whirled and stared at him. "How do you know Rose?"

"When that Captain fellow made the phone call and everyone was on the computer, she was here with me and Sylvia. She could see you lot but you couldn't see or hear her."

"_Everyone but Rose."_ His words echoed back in his mind. "So, she met you?"

"Saved our hides. I'd shot one of those metal monsters with paintballs right on the eye and it burned the paint right off there. Me and Sylvia were goners when that little girl blew it up with a huge gun."

"That's Rose," the Doctor said with a sad laugh. "Now, you want to know about someone who can hold her own with Donna. Rose saved the universe once or twice on her own, too."

"Where'd she get on to? I thought the way she looked at you and talked to you that she wasn't about to let you go."

"I sent her home."

Wilf chuckled. "Do that a lot, don't you? Bet you get an earful from them for making decisions for them."

"You wouldn't believe it. Rose hijacked the TARDIS and traveled 200,000 years in the future once. Just to save me."

There was a long silence. "You're a fool, then, Doctor."

"What?"

"I said you're a fool. Man like you does a lot of good, but you need someone to take care of you. I understand you making the decision for Donna. It needed done. But you done both you and her wrong for doing it to Rose."

Opening his mouth, the Doctor found that he really had no defense to that. His reasons felt flimsy and even he could see through them. "You're right."

"So go get her."

"I can't. She's beyond the TARDIS."

"Then you better find someone else to be with you. I keep wondering which one of us will be the first one to not make it here, and somehow I think it'll be you."

"I wouldn't be surprised."

"Well, I need to go in. I told Donna I'd follow her in." Wilf struggled to his feet, threw the ratty blanket over his telescope, and picked up his cup. Facing the Doctor, he held out his hand. "I don't mean any offense, but at my age I have earned the right to speak my mind."

A sad smile stretched across the Doctor's face. "That you have," he said as he shook the old man's hand. "Until next time."

"Goodbye, Doctor."

Wilf watched the alien leave before walking carefully down the hill. He'd put a good face on for Donna's good news and then live for another day. Part of him wished it would get easier.

--

Donna lay in bed that night, touching the cool band that pressed against her finger. This should be the happiest day of her life, but instead she just felt like something was missing. Her grandfather had changed since that last big alien hoax. Like the Earth could really just travel out of its orbit like that.

Her mother had changed, too. Despite what most of her friends thought, she was smart enough to realize that a hoax didn't just change people overnight. While she wouldn't say that her mother was warmer, she had to admit that Sylvia had actually complimented her, especially when she had gotten a job at the publishers.

And then there were the dreams. Donna had never remembered her dreams before, but over the last few months she'd had the most extraordinary ones. Alien worlds, humans from the past, warlike creatures, they all paraded through her sleep. One man was there through all of it, but somehow she knew that he wasn't a man. All the aliens in the dreams looked different from them, but she knew that he was an alien, too.

Carol would just say that it had something to do with all the alien stuff in the media. And the UFO craze had gotten worse over the last months, so she supposed that she could blame it on that. One of her mates at work said that she ought to just write it down and try to get one of the higher ups at work to read it. Even in the dark, the thought of a book with her name on the front made her giggle. She was nothing special.

She was nearly asleep when she realized that the bloke in her dream looked a lot like that John Smith chap that was visiting the night after all that mess. She'd need to think about it more in the morning.

Donna woke early the next morning. Her ring had turned during the night and caught when she tried to throw the blankets back, bringing back all the excitement of the night before. Grinning, she rushed to take a shower and get ready for work.

Stepping off the lift, she was met by a bouncing Carol. "Did he?" she asked.

Donna grinned and held up her hand, showing off the ring. They both squealed as the brunette grabbed her hand and peered at the ring. "Oh, was it all romantic?"

"Absolutely," Donna said. "Flowers, dinner, down on one knee. The whole bit."

"Oh, you so lucky. I can't get Steve to anything more than take me to the pub when the match is on."

Donna started toward her desk. "Listen. We'll go across the street for a proper lunch and chat. My treat."

"You're on."

Francine walked up to her desk just as she was sitting down. "Mr. Graves needs these files pulled, and can you do some research for this contract by ten?"

"You got it."

"So, what's got you so happy this early?" the woman asked, pulling a chair up to sit in.

"Ben popped the question last night."

"Congratulations, Donna. That's brilliant."

"_Yes, you are. You're brilliant."_

She blinked, unsure of why those words seemed so familiar. "I'm sorry?" she asked.

"I asked if you'd set a date yet."

"Um, no. We're not quite sure. This fall, maybe." She started her computer up. "I'll get right on those contracts then."

"Right."

Lunchtime came quickly, and Donna, Carol, and one of the temps on the floor headed over to the little café across the street. They sat outside, sipping their drinks.

"So, what was the whole set up?" Carol asked.

"Oh, it was too good. Ben got down one knee and asked me right there in the restaurant. It was just like I'd always dreamed."

"And to think that this all came about because you bumped into him in the lift one day."

"The only problem is," Donna said. "I don't think I'm going to take his name. And I'm definitely not hyphenating."

"Oh, yeah, I can see that," Sandy said. "I mean, Donna Noble-Savage? It's just begging for jokes."

"There you are!" a young blonde woman said as she ran up to the table. "Donna, have you seen the Doctor?"

"Excuse me?" Donna asked. "Do I know you?"

"Donna, it's me. It's Jenny."

The ginger woman stared at the other woman. "Look, Jenny. I'm sorry, but I have no idea who you are."

"Maybe I'm here too early. This kind of travel is still pretty new to me," Jenny said with a confused look on her face. "What about Martha? Do you know a Martha Jones?"

"No. No doctor. No Martha. Now do you mind? We're having lunch here." Donna turned her back on the woman and laughed. "Do you believe the nutters they're letting roam the streets these days?"

"I'm sorry to bother you then. You just looked like someone I met on Messaline."

"Never been to Italy," Donna tossed back over her shoulder. "Honestly, the nerve of her. Coming up to complete strangers."

"It's the fluorine in the water. I heard that's the reason for all the widespread hysteria over the last few years," Carol said. "So, where for the honeymoon?"

"I've always wanted to go to Spain."

"Oh, that's good for honeymoons. Of course, you could always go for the Riviera."

"Nah, I've heard it's all gone to rubbish. Now the Caribbean is always a posh spot. And _so_ romantic…"

The chatter went on around Donna, and she gave proper responses when prompted, but she didn't participate much in the conversation. Her friends never noticed, though, and carried on without her. Casting glanced down the street where the girl Jenny had disappeared, she couldn't help but shudder. Despite her casual words, Jenny had seemed familiar, although she couldn't put her finger on why. The more she thought about it, the more it seemed like something was blocking her memory.

Lunch drew to a close when the women finally noticed her quietness. Blaming a headache, Donna paid the waiter and they walked back to work. Her excuse became a reality by mid-afternoon, and in spite of two separate doses of analgesics, she still went home miserable.

It was her mother's evening out with her friends, and Donna welcomed the solitude. She called Ben and let him know that she wasn't feeling well and went to bed. She blamed the dreams that plagued her on the headache. Images of dark tunnels and people with guns haunted her, and she saw the girl from lunch carrying a gun, too. She woke frequently, but every time she went back to sleep, the dreams started again. There was a Martha there, too, along with that John Smith chap and that strange blue box.

The alarm pierced through her head, and she rolled over and slapped it off. Clutching her head, she moaned into her pillow. The headache had gotten worse.

"Rise and shine, sweetheart. I heard your clock go off…" her grandfather said as he passed by her door. "What's wrong?"

Donna tried to keep the tears out of her voice. "My head hurts something awful, Granddad. There's no way I can make it to work today."

"Right. I'll go get your mother."

Wilf ran to the kitchen as fast as he could, and considering his aging hips, it really wasn't that fast. "Sylvia! I think it's happening."

"What?"

"I think she's remembering."

"Oh, Dad. You say that every time she had a headache. Let me go check on her."

The old man paced anxiously around the kitchen until his daughter came back. "All right, you were right. So what do we do about it?"

He sighed. "You take her to Dr. Taylor. He'll just give her a prescription for sleeping pills, like he does for everything. That'll keep her under until the Doctor shows up tonight and then I can ask him to do his thing."

"The Doctor? How do you know he's coming tonight?" Sylvia asked.

"He shows up every night. You don't think I just sit and stare at the stars all night, do you?"

"Well, I don't now." She picked up the phone. "This is Sylvia Noble. I'd like to make an appointment for my daughter. Yes, she woke up this morning with an extreme headache. Yes, we can be in there at half-ten. All right. All right, then."

"Old quack Taylor will say she's just got a migraine."

"Dad, it's possible that she could just have a migraine."

"Bollocks. She's remembering."

Sylvia stared toward her daughter's room. "I really hope you're wrong, Dad. I really hope you're wrong."


	3. Chapter 3

Wilf sat on his hilltop, scanning for signs of the TARDIS. His ears strained for the familiar grinding sound, and when it finally appeared, he met the Doctor at the door. "She's remembering."

"That's impossible," the Doctor said. "I wiped her mind."

"Well, tell that the head-splitter she suffered through today. The only reason she's getting any relief at all is the sleeping pills that the family quack gave her."

"Is she asleep, then?"

"Yeah. They've kept her out most of the afternoon."

The Doctor shuddered. "Take me to her."

Sylvia greeted them at the door. "I shouldn't even let you in here."

"Is she asleep?"

"For all the good it's doing, yeah, she is."

"Then let me in. I'll look while I can." The Doctor waited for Sylvia to move, but when she didn't, he simply stepped around her. Wilf followed on his heels.

It didn't take much to find Donna's room. He stopped at the door, peering in at his friend. Her eyes were closed, but her pale face betrayed the pain that was still apparent. Sitting on the side of the bed, the Doctor felt the guilt settle on him. He was responsible for her being in this situation. If he'd let her die, then she wouldn't be suffering.

Placing his fingers on her temples, he closed his eyes and looked into her mind. The conscious mind was bare of any knowledge of him, but as he investigated deeper, he found the source of the problem. Nodding at the others, he led them out of the room and into the kitchen.

"The problem isn't memory. She still doesn't remember anything, but her subconscious still contains bits of images."

"What do you mean, exactly?" her mother asked.

"Imagine a movie. Now imagine that someone cut the movie into bits. You're not going to get the whole picture unless you put all the bits in their proper order. That's what Donna's got. They're just bits of adventures, scrambled up in her subconscious."

"Does that mean that she will remember?"

"Not necessarily, but if her subconscious keeps throwing those bits back up at her, like in dreams, then she'll keep getting the headaches." He paced around for a moment before whirling and holding out his hand. "Phone."

"What?"

"Telephone, mobile, just something to make a call on."

Sylvia handed him the cordless phone, and the Doctor dialed a number.

"_You've reached Dr. Martha Jones. Leave a message after the tone."_

"Martha, it's the Doctor. Pick up. Please."

"Hello?"

Her voice was muffled, but he didn't notice that. "Martha, it's the Doctor. I need your help."

"Um, sure. Whatever you need. What's up?"

"Listen. It's Donna."

She gasped. "What's wrong with her?"

"She's experiencing headaches. She's not really remembering, but her subconscious is feeding her bits of leftover memories. It's not enough to be deadly, but it is enough to be painful."

Martha was quiet for a moment. "Wait. Won't she remember me?"

He sighed. "No. I didn't see your face in her mind. It's mostly just me and the TARDIS."

"All right. I'll be in London first thing in the morning. Take her to the clinic in the old Torchwood building."

"I won't be here. It'll be her mother and her grandfather."

"All right. We'll have it set up as a specialist's clinic." She sighed. "I'm sorry, Doctor."

"Yeah, me too." He hung up the phone. "All right. Torchwood will have a clinic set up for her tomorrow. Dr. Martha Jones will be the specialist. I'll give you the address." Turning on his heel, he fled the house.

"I'm sorry. I never intended for any of this to happen."

Wilf nodded, not surprised that the Doctor had heard him following. "She would've said that it was worth it."

"I destroyed her mind. How can that possibly be worth it?" The Doctor's voice was heavy with self-loathing.

"Because, even as clever as you are, you miss something really important." Wilf took the Doctor's arm and made him face his gaze. "Anything we can experience in our short lifetimes is worth the risk. We die. And we know it. We watch our kids fall to wars, or disease, or accidents. We know that the next time we step out into the street we could be hit by a truck.

"But we still go on. If we have to sacrifice ourselves to make it a better world, then it's worth it. It's worth every minute. I know not everyone feels that way. We'll always have the Hitlers and the Stalins, but for every one of them is someone who's willing to make sure that they're stopped. And the quiet ones aren't the ones who make the history books.

"Doctor, I don't know what your world's like, but you just don't see our side of it sometimes. That Harriet Jones died so we could call you. Since she's been out of office, no one's heard a peep from her until it counted. She died believing that she did the right thing."

The old man paused to catch his breath. "My granddaughter is a hero. Before she met you, had she done anything for someone other than herself, she'd have shouted it from the rooftops. But then she met you. You changed her. You opened her eyes.

"And even that woman lying in there. She has no memory of you, but she's not the same Donna she was before you showed up. She's a better person, and she doesn't remember you."

The Doctor stared, a little shocked by the long speech and his conclusions. "I love this planet. But you lot are the most confusing species out there." He ran his hand through his hair and let something resembling a grin cross his face. "You know what? We'll sort this out.

"Take Donna to see Martha tomorrow, then we'll all sort out what needs done." A full-fledged smile lit his face. "I won't give up on her. She never did on me."

"Thank you, Doctor. That's all I can ask for." Wilf collapsed in his chair and sighed.

"I wish I could do more."

--

Donna sat in the car, hiding her pain behind an oversized pair of sunglasses. Even the weak sunlight was enough to aggravate her headache. Sighing, she paid little attention to her mother's chattering as they drove to the specialist's office.

The building looked different than most of the clinics that she'd been to, but she shrugged it off. It wasn't like she'd been to a specialist before. She paid little attention to the young lady at the desk, letting her mother take care of the details. The pills that she'd taken yesterday still lingered in her system, and the sluggishness was making her irritable.

"Miss Noble?"

She looked up quickly and grimaced as her head protested the movement. "All right." Standing slowly, she walked over to where a good-looking nurse was waiting to take her back. Even in her less than alert state, she noticed that the man actually looked concerned for her. The more she thought about it, the more frightened she became. There must be something seriously wrong with her to merit that kind of pity from a stranger. Sitting by herself in an exam room didn't help allay her fears.

"Hello, Miss Noble. My name is Dr. Jones," a pleasant young woman said as she entered the room. "I hear you've been having some headaches."

"Yeah." She sighed at the doctor's manner. "I've never felt anything like it."

"So, can you describe the pain?"

Donna thought for a moment. "It's almost like a burning pain. Never had a headache like this before."

"Really? When did you first experience this?"

"I guess it was day before yesterday. I was at work and it started after lunch."

"Was it this intensity?"

"Oh, no. Just an annoyance."

Dr. Jones pulled up a chair in front of Donna. "These questions might seem a little odd, but sometimes symptoms show up in places you never thought of. Have you been having unusual dreams recently?"

"Yeah, I have."

"Can you describe them?"

Donna frowned as she tried to bring back some of the images. "Well, the fact that I just started remembering my dreams is strange. Never been one for remembering much, well, apart from the childhood nightmares, that is, but over the last few months I've had vivid ones." She paused, trying to put them into words.

"It's all right, Miss Noble. I won't be judging the content," Dr. Jones said with a smile. "I just need to see how your brain is processing information, and dreams paint a pretty clear picture of how everything's working."

"All right. Here goes." She drew a deep breath before continuing. "I keep seeing scenes, like from the movies. Things that don't look real. And sometimes I'm in space. There are these bald creatures with what looks like spaghetti on their face. They talk through these lighted balls. And then there were these short little things that tried to kill everyone. Don't know what I ate before bed that night."

Dr. Jones laughed. "I've had a few nights like that myself. Now, is there anything in these dreams that is consistent from one night to another?"

"Yeah," Donna said slowly. "There's this bloke. He visited Mum and Granddad one night, and he keeps showing up. Tall, skinny, cheeky bloke. He's usually there, and then there's this blue box, kind of like the old style police boxes."

"Really? Interesting." The doctor took some notes. "Have these dreams increased in frequency right before your headaches started?"

Donna shook her head. "No. Not that I can remember, anyway."

"All right. Is there anything out of the ordinary that's happened to you? Were you exposed to someone who's traveled overseas or something?"

"No… Wait a moment. There was something strange the day that these started." Donna frowned as she tried to recall the details. "There was some girl came up to me at lunch that day. She said she knew me from somewhere, but I've never been to Italy. Maybe it was her."

A frown crossed the doctor's face. "She knew you, but you didn't know her?"

"Yeah. She knew my name and everything. She was looking for some doctor, and thought that we'd met somewhere called Messaline." Dr. Jones gasped, and Donna stared in surprise. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine. I've been to Messaline before, so it just surprised me. So what did this girl look like?"

"Nice looking, blonde. Young little thing. Asked about a doctor and then someone called Martha Jones." Donna blinked at the shocked woman sitting across from her. "Don't suppose your first name's Martha?"

"It is, as a matter of fact. Did this girl give her name?"

"Yeah. Jeanine. No, that wasn't it. Jenny! Said her name was Jenny."

"But she died."

Frowning at the whispered words, Donna shook her head slowly. "No. She was alive. Said the strangest thing, too. Just thought she was another nutter or something. I mean, who just walks up to a stranger on the street and starts a conversation like that…"

"What did she say?"

"Oh. Said it must be too early, and that she wasn't used to that kind of traveling or something."

"Well, Miss Noble. If you'd change into this gown, I'll have the nurse come in and take you down for a scan."

"Just tell me," Donna said, grabbing the doctor's arm. "Let me know if I'm on my way out."

"I won't know anything until I get the results of that scan. But I will be back to talk to you after I see what's going on." Dr. Jones smiled at her. "We'll take good care of you, Donna."

"Thanks."

--

Martha left the room, feeling her heart pounding in her throat. "Jack. Go ahead and take Donna down there and put her through that scanner you brought. Have Ianto stay with her and then come back. We've got to call the Doctor."

She collapsed in the former office space. It had taken nearly all night to set the old Canary Wharf building up to look like a clinic, but they'd done a pretty good job. They'd also brought a few pieces of Owen's alien collection to see if they would be of any use. Sighing, she leaned back and tried to absorb what Donna had just told her.

"All right. She's settled. Now what's going on?" Jack asked as he sat on the desk.

Martha dug out her mobile. "Let me call the Doctor. I don't want to have to explain this more than once." She dialed and frowned at it. "That's odd. I got a busy signal."

A devilish smile lit the American's face. "We'll just have to get the TARDIS call waiting, then, won't we?"

Snapping the phone closed, she swatted at his leg. "You tell the Doctor that. I won't."

"Tell me what?" a familiar voice asked from the doorway.

"Doctor! We just tried to call you," Martha said.

"I know. I programmed the TARDIS to arrive just as you called." He walked in and sat down. "All right. Now how is she?"

"I'm fairly sure that it wasn't the dreams causing the headaches. She's been dreaming about your adventures for months, but this is the first headache." Martha drew in a shaky breath, unsure of how this next information was going to go over. "I think what set it off was a visitor."

"A visitor? Like a time-traveling visitor?" Jack asked.

Martha nodded before staring right at the Doctor. "And not just anyone. She gave her name as Jenny."

The Doctor looked like he'd been kicked in the stomach. "But she died. She died in my arms. I think I'd know if she was alive."

"Jenny? Who's Jenny?"

"It has to have been someone else," the Doctor insisted.

"All right, fine. It was someone who just happened to know Donna by name, asking for both you and me and mentioning the planet Messaline."

"I'm missing something. What's going on?" Jack asked again.

"But she didn't regenerate. She was dead!" the Doctor said, jumping from the chair and pacing around the room.

"Wait, regenerate? There's _another _Time Lord out there?"

Martha shook her head. "Not quite. Or I don't think she is." She stared at the visibly distraught Doctor. "Is she?"

"She's Gallifreyan. Time Lord is more of a title."

"Okay, so where did she come from? I thought you were the last after the Master," Jack said. "Doctor?"

"She's his daughter."

It took a lot to render Captain Jack Harkness speechless, but that did it. "What?"

"Jenny's my daughter. Stolen from my DNA by a warrior cloning machine, but my daughter nonetheless." The Doctor suddenly whirled toward Martha with hope shining on his face. "Is it possible?"

"She even mentioned to Donna that maybe she was there too early and that travel like this was new to her." Martha grinned at him. "That means you're not alone anymore."

"Oh, I've got to find her."

"Uh, Doctor. First things first," Jack said, nodding toward Martha.

"Oh, yes. First things first, but not necessarily in that order." He paused. "Hmm. Haven't said that one in a while. I like it. Have to use it again. So, anyway, what do we do about Donna?"

Martha sighed. "Probably the best thing would be to have you to go back into her mind and take out the stuff in her subconscious."

He shook his head. "Impossible. I've been in there too frequently. And besides, if I go in and start mucking about in her subconscious, she could lose more of herself. Including memories of friends or family members."

"All right. What about retcon?" Jack asked.

"That's an option. It will certainly reset her, but again, it works on the conscious, not the subconscious." Martha shook her head. "That might work for the time being, though."

"There is a weakness to that, though," Jack said. "Gwen's beat it."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Just one image broke through and she figured out enough of the rest to get back to where she shouldn't have. But in my experience using it, she's the only one who's beat it."

"Yeah, but she's a clever girl, isn't she?" the Doctor asked with a sad smile.

"Hey, I've been meaning to ask you that. You and Rose knew Gwen, didn't you?"

"Well, I wouldn't say that. Let's just say that we met a family member in 1869. Met Dickens that night, too. Wonderful chap. Quite the investigator in his own right." The Doctor shook his head. "Right. Let's just go with the retcon. Jack, is there any way that you can keep some kind of watch on her to protect her from any other little meetings? Although the odds of anyone else we met on our travels looking her up are pretty slim."

"On it, Doc."

The Doctor rolled his eyes at the name. "And Martha. Give Sylvia your information so that if it happens again, you can be there as quickly as you can." He looked back at Jack. "So, how many times can you do this to someone without any side effects?"

"I don't know. There's a cop in Cardiff who's taken it probably a dozen times and it hasn't affected him yet. Although with him, I don't know how we could tell." He held up his hands at the Doctor's stare. "All right. We will monitor her. I'd say up to six doses would be as many as we'd want to try. After that?"

"Hopefully that won't be a concern," Martha said and stood. "All right then. Go get Donna back to her room and I'll be in there to talk to her in a few minutes." She walked over and gave the Doctor a hug. "Maybe she did survive. Stranger things have happened."

He acknowledged the truth of that with a shrug. "Did Donna say when Jenny showed up?"

"Day before yesterday. She interrupted her lunch." Martha sighed. "I hope you find her. You really need someone."

He shook his head with a grin on his face. "You're the second person in a week to tell me that. And advice noted. Let me get out of here before something else happens to Donna."

"All right then. Call me if you need me again, you hear?"

"Of course. Thank you, Martha." He made it to the door before he paused. "And give Tom my apologies for interrupting you last night."

Martha gasped as she realized what he was referring to, but by the time she could face him, he was gone. Through the open door, she heard the familiar engines of the TARDIS. Smiling at his exit, she picked up the chart and headed back toward the exam room.


	4. Chapter 4

The Doctor took the TARDIS into the vortex. Standing at the controls, he stared at the monitor as his hand hovered over the console. The thought that Jenny was still alive thrilled him, but he had to fight to put in the coordinates. She died once, no matter what Martha thought, and even if she did regenerate, she wouldn't be the same woman.

Having made his mind up, he programmed the coordinates and materialized. He landed down the street in an alley. Stepping out, he joined the lunchtime pedestrian crowd. It only took a moment to find a second floor office that overlooked the street by Donna's office.

At noon, she and two women walked out of the building and across to the sidewalk café. He watched as they showed great excitement over Donna's new ring. For the first time, the Doctor wondered what Donna's fiancé was like. He hoped that he wasn't like Lance Bennett, who had only used her for his own gain and had fallen at the hands of the very creature that he had been helping.

A blonde head bobbed through the crowd and approached Donna's table. He stared as she talked to the ginger woman. There was no doubt that the young woman was his daughter. The Doctor stood and watched as she began walking away.

He whirled and ran from his vantage point. If she was time traveling, then she must have gotten a ship. Questions filled his head as he pounded down the sidewalk, dodging people. Pulling his sonic screwdriver out, he started scanning for radiation indicative of time traveling.

A change in pitch led him down an alley. He wondered what kind of technology she'd found, since it wasn't a technology available to the explorers at Messaline. The signal strengthened, and he rounded the corner expecting to face a ship. Instead, he saw Jenny walking ahead of him. He grinned as he opened his mouth to call to her when she vanished in a bright blue light.

Stopping dead in his tracks, he stared at the empty space. To be so close again and yet miss her was painful. Inhaling, he ran back to the TARDIS and began scanning. Seeing the temporal energy registering, he ran a trace for the origin. As it spiraled outward, he watched as it focused back toward Cardiff. Frowning, he sighed as he set the coordinates for the Millennium Center.

As the TARDIS materialized, the Doctor realized that he'd never actually visited Jack in the Hub. He stepped out and looked around. If he knew Jack, the door would be hidden but clever. The man had a flair for the ostentatious.

Hearing a soft grinding noise behind him, he grinned as he watched Jack ascend from the earth. "Having fun, Jack?"

"I'd say long time, no see, but it's only been six months," he laughed as he pulled the Doctor into a big hug. "What brings you to Cardiff?"

The Doctor stared at him. "What do you mean, six months? I just left you…" He stared at Jack. "Oh, no, no, no, no! I've come back too soon!" He whirled and ran back toward the ship.

"Doctor! What's going on?" Jack shouted, running after him. He pulled up as the TARDIS doors slammed and it dematerialized.

Taking the TARDIS into the vortex, he collapsed back against the jump seat. Crossing timelines, even accidentally, was dangerous. Knowing that, he peered at scans. It wouldn't do to cross himself again.

Going over the information gathered by the TARDIS during the brief stop by the Rift, the Doctor looked over the recent readings. There were spikes that coincided with Jenny's appearance in London, so he focused in on them. There was an incoming and outgoing trail from those spikes, so he ran a trace. Discovering a single point of origin, he set the coordinates.

The TARDIS had barely settled when the Doctor was out the door. The alien landscape didn't even draw his attention as he walked around. There was no sign of life anywhere, and as an icy wind blasted him, he pulled his coat close. Seeing nothing, he went back to the TARDIS and scanned for any life forms. A faint signal showed two life signs, so he got the bearings and went back out.

The wind blew some sort of debris, and he wasn't sure if it was sand or snow, but it reduced visibility to nearly nothing. Squinting, he peered at the landscape, looking for anything that could pass for shelter. After several minutes, he finally spotted an odd-shaped lump that seemed to be out of place from the desolate landscape. He headed straight for it.

There was nothing on the exterior that indicated any sort of door, but a quick sweep with his sonic screwdriver showed him a hidden mechanism. The door lifted open, and the Doctor slid down inside the opening and pulled it closed, shutting out the wind.

He turned and faced a fairly extensive tunnel. Sparing a quick glance at it, he noticed that it was not new construction, but his desire to see his daughter overpowered his curiosity. Scanning down the dim corridor, he found the Rift radiation lingering. He followed.

After walking for nearly an hour, he finally noticed a change in lighting. As the tunnel got brighter, he hurried his steps. He was running by the time he saw the tunnel widen into a room.

Skidding to a stop, he met Jenny's gaze as she stared up at his sudden appearance. It took only a moment for them to meet halfway between. The Doctor crushed her against him, and Jenny returned the embrace just as enthusiastically.

"You died," he whispered into her hair.

She pulled back with a brilliant smile. "I'm tougher than I look."

He returned her grin. "Don't do that to me again. Take years off of me." Not quite ready to release her completely, he pulled her back in again. "So, what have you been doing?"

"Oh, saving planets, rescuing civilizations, defeating creatures, running. The usual," Jenny said. "And trying to find you. You're not easy to track down. You never told me you traveled in time, although with you being a Time Lord I should've guessed. Tea?"

He blinked at her change of subject. "Yeah." Releasing her finally, he took a seat close to where she had been sitting. "I guess the subject really didn't come up, since I planned to take you in the TARDIS. Speaking of which, how are you traveling through time?"

She pulled the jacket sleeve back to reveal a familiar wrist unit. "I ran into a Time Agent."

"And how did you manage to get that away from him?"

"Not the way you're thinking," she said with a laugh. "I didn't kill him and I didn't sleep with him, not that the thought didn't cross my mind. Nice looking bloke, he was."

The Doctor frowned. "Please don't tell me you ran into Jack."

"Nope. His name wasn't Jack. Called himself John." She handed the Doctor a steaming mug. "And this one isn't his. He helped me build one of my own after I helped him out of a tight spot." She sipped from her own cup. "How did you find me?"

"Traced the radiation left from your jumps." Toying with the cup, he tried to find the right words to continue. "Jenny, you can't try to communicate with Donna any more."

"Sorry about that. I was guessing with the time frame." She blushed. "I guess I'm still not very good at pinpointing times."

"No, your timing was brilliant, but Donna doesn't remember."

"What?"

The Doctor stared down, unable to meet her gaze. "Donna saved the universe. All the universes, in fact. But to do so, she absorbed power that she shouldn't have."

"She's going to be all right, though, isn't she?" Jenny asked with concern apparent.

"As long as she doesn't remember anything about her travels with me, then yes, she should live out a normal life."

"And me showing up made her remember something?"

"Yeah." He saw the guilty look on her face and reached for her hand. "You didn't know. And she's fine, the last I heard. Also, I got some friends to watch over her. She'll be fine."

"Good. I like Donna." Jenny sighed and leaned against her father. "I just needed to find you."

"What for?"

She turned her head so she could look at him. "I don't understand quite what's going on here, but I got a message to be here on this planet and a time."

"A message? From who?"

Blinking in surprise, she pulled back. "From you."

"I didn't even know you were alive, Jenny. Believe me, you'd have been with me if I'd known."

She frowned. "But I know it was you."

He shuddered, thinking about crossing timelines again. "It's quite possible that I haven't done it yet. So, what's here?"

"That's the weird thing." Jenny popped up to her feet and held out her hand. Seeing his hesitation, she wiggled her fingers at him. "This is something better seen than explained."

"All right."

She led him down another short corridor before stopping in front of the door. "Go on in."

He pushed the door open, not sure what to expect. The dim light was more than enough for him to see the bed and its occupant. "This can't be," he said, shaking his head. "Oh, what have you done?"


	5. Chapter 5

Flopping down on the bed, Rose sighed. Spending time with her mother was exhausting. It was nice to be able to get back to work to get some rest.

"Rose?"

"In here," she called. "Oh, this bed is heavenly." She rolled over and smiled up at the Doctor flirtatiously. "Care to join me?"

He leaned against the door jamb, crossing his arms and smirking in a manner that reminded her of his previous incarnation. "I think we've got work to do first."

"Oh, those Ortavicans can wait. Besides, they need at least twelve hours to adjust to the nitrogen content of our atmosphere. We have time." She pouted prettily. "Please?"

The Doctor walked over and sat down beside her. "While you're right about the Ortavicans, I still have a couple things that I need to take care of. The tech guys asked me to consult on a new project."

"Oh, is that what you were doing with Pete?" she asked. "You had, what, three meetings with him this week?"

"Mostly." He sighed. "I got the impression that he was trying to groom me to take over."

"Hey, we'll swipe a ship before he can do that," Rose said with a laugh. "Come on. I promise I'll give you time to work."

"After the conference, I promise." He watched as she stretched in front of him. "Listen. I know that you didn't get much sleep the last week, what with Tony getting sick like he was." A casual hand on her face let her know that he was apologizing for keeping her awake, too. "Why don't you just take a bit of a kip and we'll both be ready to face the aliens?"

She smiled. "I'll rest for a bit, but I'm not sleepy. Besides, I saw a Chinese restaurant as we were coming in. I've been wanting sweet and sour chicken since our last trip to Taiwan. Why can't London get a decent Chinese place?"

He kissed her firmly before pulling back and standing up. "Deal. When you're done resting, I'll get you Chinese."

"Done."

Despite her assessment that she wasn't sleepy, Rose dropped right off. She woke, uncertain of her surroundings until she smelled the food. "Doctor?"

"I'm here, Rose."

She stumbled out of the bedroom, blinking at the bright light. "It's night already?" she asked, staring outside at the darkness.

"Yeah. You slept for a while."

Rose slumped down in a chair. "You should've woke me up."

The Doctor smiled at her. "You obviously needed the rest. Now eat."

Inhaling deeply, she grinned. "You got it. I'm starving." Over the take out cartons, they discussed the goal of the upcoming conference. The Sycorax invasion had actually been the first mission that the Doctor had taken part in as a member of Torchwood, and that successful rout had led to the Ortavicans wanting a treaty with Earth. Apparently they believed that the enemy of their enemy was their friend.

Due to the aliens' sensitivities to Earth's climate, they were in Denver to take advantage of the altitude. The Ortavicans were being brought in by helicopter, and the hotel that they were in was a bit confused by the need for such security for their conference room, along with the late night hours.

The Doctor and Rose stood at attention as the aliens were escorted into the room. The creatures might have been mistaken for slender humans if not for the feathery growths on their hands and the gills on their throats.

"Greetings, Ik," the Doctor said respectfully. "I am the Doctor and this is my mate, Rose Tyler."

She cast him an odd glance. He'd never identified her as that before, but then again, it might be protocol for this particular species. Truth be told, it was an accurate enough description of their relationship.

Stepping forward, Rose repeated the hand gesture that the Doctor had opened with and greeted the delegation. With the formalities out of the way, they settled to discussing the terms of the treaty.

Since the Doctor seemed to be handling the majority of the negotiations, Rose let her attention lapse from the technicalities to studying the visitors. They were really beautiful, and she watched them interact with the Doctor. They seemed to appreciate his intelligence.

Several hours into the negotiations, Rose began to distinctly regret the Chinese that they'd eaten for dinner. As her stomach got more unsettled, she eyed the distance to the bathroom. She really hoped that they would break soon.

As soon as the Ortavican leader announced that they needed to discuss a particular point amongst themselves, Rose seized the excuse to rush from the room. She barely made it before her stomach emptied itself. Hearing the uproar behind her, she felt humiliation burn her face along with the misery at being sick.

She heard the Doctor come in behind her, holding a cool hand on her forehead and supporting her. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

"There's nothing to be sorry for," he said. "Are you all right?"

"I think so." She stayed kneeling while he wet some paper towels. Sighing at the cool touch, she cleaned her face off. "Thanks. I'm feeling better now."

"Are you sure?" he asked, concern plain on his face.

"Yeah. Guess the Chinese was bad or something."

He helped her to her feet. "Why don't you stay in here and make sure you're up to joining us. If you're not, go back to the room and I'll finish up."

"Won't they be offended?" she asked.

"Even aliens can understand illness." He kissed her forehead. "I just want you to feel better."

"Thanks."

Rose stood in front of the mirror as the Doctor left. Her face was white in spite of her makeup, which had gotten somewhat disturbed. She wet the corner of another towel and tried to repair the damage as much as she could. Inhaling deeply, she waited for more nausea but felt nothing but a relief. Stepping to the door, she opened it a crack to make sure that she wasn't interrupting anything.

The Doctor was talking to someone, and she waited for a break in the conversation. Hearing a lull, she stepped out and saw that the delegation was milling about, talking in small groups. Rose stepped forward toward the Doctor's group. She nodded at his questioning look, and he pulled her into the conversation.

Within a few minutes, he had been called away, leaving Rose with two Ortavicans.

"Aren't you pleased?" the taller one asked.

"Yes. I'm very happy that the negotiations are going so well," Rose said with a smile.

"Not the conference, although we are happy that your planet is so eager to treat with us. I meant your coming one."

"I'm sorry?" she asked.

The other alien spoke up. "Your mate told us of your coming one when he made your excuses." The two exchanged glances. "We are woefully ignorant of human procreation and did not realize that it could cause illness. We sympathize that such a joyful encounter should bring discomfort."

Rose kept her jaw from dropping as she realized what excuse the Doctor had given, but it was a struggle. Smiling tightly, she said, "Not every human woman experiences sickness during pregnancy, although it is not uncommon."

The two aliens tittered, and she decided that she needed to get some air. Excusing herself, she slipped over to the French doors which opened onto a balcony. Leaning against the banister, she inhaled deeply and stared out at the city. The chilly mountain wind drew a shiver, and she lifted her head to stare at the stars shining above.

"Are you feeling sick again?" the Doctor asked from behind her.

She shook her head. "Just needed some air. I'll be back in a minute," she said, keeping her anger out of her voice.

"All right. Let me know if you need anything."

Rose counted to ten before turning back toward him. "How much longer do you think this is going to last?"

The Doctor looked back over his shoulder. "Probably another two or three hours." He looked into her face. "I can handle this. Why don't you go back to the room and rest?"

She nodded. "I will." As she walked back toward the door, he pulled her to him and kissed her on the forehead. Unable to resist, she hugged him quickly and then walked away.

Once back in their room, Rose changed from her business clothes into her typical jeans, jumper, and jacket. Calling down to the front desk, she got the name and address of an all-night chemist. As she walked past the night clerk, she grinned at the odd looks he was giving her. Apparently chemist didn't mean quite the same thing here as it did in London.

Her errand took only twenty minutes, and once back in the safety of her room, Rose administered the pregnancy test. Sitting cross-legged in the center of the bed, she stared as the stick turned blue. Not quite sure how to react, she held it clasped in her hands. She was going to be a mother.

She was still sitting there when the Doctor came in the door to their room. "Rose? Are you all right?" When he didn't get an answer, he rushed to the bedroom. Seeing her sitting on the bed, he sat down beside her. "Rose? What's wrong?"

"How did you know?"

The Doctor froze. "Know what?"

She looked down at the pregnancy test, still clasped in her hands. "That I'm pregnant."

"Oh."

"Don't you think that I might've wanted to find out on my own? Or maybe from my _mate_?" She fought to keep the bitterness out of her words, but failed. "Or, for that matter, from anyone other than aliens?"

The Doctor opened his mouth to speak, but the words caught as he saw the anger drain from her.

"I guess this is why you were asking me about kids." She sniffed and raised teary eyes to meet his. "I'll just move back to Mum's. I won't hold you back."

"Oh no, you don't!"

She jumped at his outburst. "What?"

He grabbed Rose by the shoulders. "I knew that the Ortavicans held a high respect for a mother-to-be, so yes, I told them about you. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that." Wiping away the spilling tears, he asked, "Aren't you happy?"

"Yeah, I am," she sobbed, falling forward onto his chest.

"Then what's wrong?" he asked, unsure of what to do with her.

"You're not happy."

"What? Rose, of course I'm happy!" He pulled her back so he could stare down into her face. "We're going to have a baby."

Rose pulled his face down to hers, kissing him. He grinned against her lips, and she wriggled around to sit more comfortably against him. It didn't take much for things to progress beyond kissing as clothes began scattering.

In the aftermath, Rose curled against the Doctor, sighing contentedly. "Are you sure you're happy?" she asked.

"I'm sure." He grinned down at her since he knew that she couldn't see him. "I certainly enjoyed making this one more than the last one."

Rose leaned up on her elbow and stared at him in confusion. "Why? Do Time Lords do it differently?"

"Oh, no! Well, yeah, but that's not quite what I meant." He looked down at the back of his hand. "The last time was only about a year ago. We landed on Messaline in the middle of a generations old war. They stole a DNA sample to make new soldiers."

"They made a clone of you?" she asked, wrinkling her brow in confusion.

"No. I had a full-grown, Gallifreyan daughter step out." When he didn't speak, she touched his face, understanding that he'd lost her. "She was brilliant."

"I'm sure she was. I'm sorry I didn't get to meet her." Rose yawned widely.

"Come here," the Doctor said and pulled her close. "Are you sure you're happy?" he asked again as she resumed her place beside him.

"As long as you are." Her words were slurred as she gave in to the exhaustion. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

--

Jackie was not as thrilled as Rose had imagined, but she didn't throw a fit either. She stared a hole in the Doctor, who quickly found an excuse to go talk to Pete. Jackie sat a cup of tea on the table in front of her daughter. Taking a seat, she looked at Rose.

"So, what are you two planning to do?"

"Do?" Rose asked. "Mum, we're keeping the baby."

"No! Not that. I didn't assume that it was an option with you." She peered at her daughter. "Will the baby be human?"

"Yes, Mum. Well, mostly." She laughed at her mother's horrified look. "There's a tiny chance that the baby might have a few Time Lord traits, but other than that, it will be perfectly human."

"Well thank goodness for that." Another pause ensued as Jackie sipped her tea. "Is he going to marry you, then?"

"Mum!" Rose put her teacup down, not willing to spit tea across the table again. "We haven't discussed it. And frankly, I don't know how his people dealt with that."

"So, you're still at the mercy of an alien culture even though he's human now."

"He's not entirely human." She looked at Jackie. "Still, I thought you'd be thrilled by a grandchild."

"I am, sweetheart. I'm just worried about you. Out there running all over the world…"

"Better than all over time and space, though," Rose pointed out.

"I'll give you that. I just don't want you getting hurt out there. I know that you two are out there on the really dangerous missions. Are you planning on running for your life when you're eight months pregnant?"

"No. I plan to give it up in a couple months. Mum, I want you to be happy about this."

"I am. I really am." Jackie sipped her tea. "I just…"

"I know. You're worried. Well, frankly, I am too." She sighed. "Not that something will happen. I'm more worried that Torchwood will discover the Doctor's origin and decide that we all make great guinea pigs."

"You know your father won't stand for that." Jackie looked up when she heard a cry from upstairs. "Well, Tony's up."

"You sit still, Mum. I'll get him." Rose stood quickly and dashed up the stairs. It wouldn't be long before she wouldn't be able to do that. Entering her brother's room, she shushed him as she walked over to his cot. Scooping him up, she cuddled him against her.

Excitement filled her when she thought that she had a tiny one growing in her. Hugging the sniffling boy, she carried him over to the rocking chair. She settled him in her lap, rocking him gently. A song that Jackie had sung to her came to mind, and she didn't stop the words from coming out.

A shadow in the doorway finally drew her attention away from the toddler who had dozed back off in her lap. She looked up at the Doctor, who was watching her intently.

"I'll put him back down," she whispered. Tony didn't stir as she put him back in the cot. Turning away from him, she slipped from the bedroom, pulling the door shut.

The Doctor was staring at her, and she shivered when she couldn't read his expression. "What?" she asked.

"Care to go to the garden with me?" he asked, his face no longer shadowed by whatever his earlier thoughts had been.

"Sure."

They walked in silence until they reached a stone bench on the far side. The house wasn't quite visible from this point, but Rose preferred that. It was still difficult, even after living there for years, to think of the monstrosity as home, but Jackie and Pete had done their best. Since the Doctor had joined her, it had become a little easier simply because she didn't focus on the building at all anymore.

"Rose…"

She looked at him. "What?"

He cleared his throat uncertainly. "It's been brought to my attention that, um, there are certain things that need to be done when a human woman… Well, what I mean is…"

"Oh, no. Has Mum been talking to you?" Rose asked, a frown gathering on her face. "I tried to tell her to mind her own business."

"No! No, Jackie didn't say anything." The Doctor looked at her. "Pete did. He, um, well, he suggested that you might need some sort of assurances." He saw her look of confusion. "Rose, do you want to get married?"

It took a moment for the question to sink in. She stared at him suspiciously. "Are you sure that Mum didn't get a hold of you?"

"I'm sure." He looked at her. "Look, Rose, you've had a lot to deal with. And I know that I'm not what you were expecting when you fought your way back to the other universe." He slipped his fingers between hers. "I love you, and I love that I can finally say it. So, if you feel like you need to make it official for the government, then I will gladly do it."

Tears burned her eyes. "That may be the most romantic thing I've ever heard," she said. Leaning into him, she kissed him. "And I do."

Pulling back, he frowned. "You do what?"

Rose grinned, poking her tongue out playfully. "You just made your vows to me, so I accepted and return them." She laid her hand on his face. "No, I wouldn't have chosen to be put back here, but I have you. Forever. And that's more than I ever could've dreamed of.

"I know that the other Doctor could never have given up the universe just for me, and I wouldn't have asked him to." She kissed him again. "But I love that you can. And you just did. So unless you want Mum to plan some sort of horrible, massive production, then I'd say we're married."

He blinked in confusion. "That's it?"

"We can go get a certificate, but I don't see why. We made our promises to each other and that's what human marriage is all about." Grinning again at his bemusement, she said, "Do you want the whole big ceremony?"

"No," he said quickly. "I just thought…"

"I know Mum wants it to be official, but with you calling me your mate to the Ortavicans and all, I think we're already married."

Wrapping his arms around her, the Doctor pulled her close and kissed her. She slipped her hands in his hair, keeping him from pulling away. It took some effort, but she wriggled up on his lap. They stayed like that until the first cold drops hit them.

Gasping at the sudden chill, Rose stared up at the sky as it starting pouring. She tried to extricate herself when she felt herself being scooped up in his arms. Before she could protest, he was running back toward the house.

They were both laughing when they burst through the door, only to stop guiltily at Jackie's fierce glare. "What do you think you're doing? I swear, for someone who thinks he's so clever you can be a right dimwit. And Rose? Pregnant and running around out in the freezing rain? How many times have I told you that you'll catch your death running around like that?"

They stood there, dripping on the floor while they stared at Jackie. She shook her head and stalked away, muttering under her breath. Rose felt the Doctor release her legs, and she stood on her own. Hiding sheepish grins, they both went upstairs, cringing as they heard Jackie dragging out the mop to clean up their mess.

Rose stripped off her wet clothes in their bedroom while the Doctor took the bathroom. A shudder shook her as she tried to get warmed up. It was irritating when Jackie was right. She knocked on the bathroom door. "Can you hand me out a towel?" she called through the door.

The door swept open for her. "I'll do you one better," the Doctor said as he pulled her in. "Get in."

He'd run a steamy hot bath for her, and Rose didn't hesitate. Sinking into the water, she sighed as she shuddered once again. The cold she felt leeched away to the warmth swirling around her. "Oh, this is perfect. Thank you."

"You're welcome." He stood next to the tub in just his trousers and smiled at her.

"Aren't you cold?"

Shrugging, he avoided the question. When she felt his hands on her bare shoulders, she remembered his lower body temperature. He probably didn't even notice. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."


	6. Chapter 6

_A great big thanks goes out to everyone reviewing this story. You've officially made it my most successful Doctor Who story. Since this is already finished, I'll be updating as quickly as I can. _

Donna walked back to the exam room. Whatever was wrong had to be serious to merit this kind of visit. She shuddered. It wasn't a pleasant thought that she might be terminal. Tears stung her eyes as she thought of how this could affect Ben.

Walking down the hall, she heard an odd sound. It was low, and it drove a shiver through her. She'd heard that sound before. The orderly showed her back to the exam room and shut the door behind him, but it didn't shut out the noise entirely. Sitting on the bed, she cradled her head in her hands. The pain was building again, and she wasn't looking forward to a recurrence.

With her eyes closed, she was taken back to lunch two days ago. After the girl left, she and her friends had walked back across the street to work. Her mind's eye froze the image. There was a bloke there, pushing through the crowd in front of her. She knew him. He was the same one in her dreams.

Then there was that sound. The sound that she'd just heard. She knew that it meant something. The harder Donna thought about it, the more her head hurt, but she couldn't stop. It was like a spiral, and she hurt too much to even shed the tears in her eyes. That sound had been there right after the thin man left. Through the agony, she could hear that grinding sound over the crowd.

"All right, then, Donna," Dr. Jones said as she walked in the door.

Donna looked up at her and pitched forward off the table. The young doctor caught her as she fell. She heard Dr. Jones call for help and felt strong hands lifting her onto the table.

She felt a pill being placed under her tongue. Donna tried opening her eyes, but they felt leaden. She needed to tell the doctor what she remembered.

"I saw."

"What was that?"

"I saw him."

"Who did you see? Donna, tell me. Who did you see?"

Her eyes finally opened, and she saw Dr. Jones leaning over her. "I saw the thin man. He was there, at my work. And I heard it."

"You remember seeing him?"

Donna swallowed and felt the remains of the pill slip down her throat. Strange that it had no taste at all. Most pills tasted bitter, but that one tasted of nothing.

"Donna! Do you remember seeing the thin man?"

She stared back up at the doctor. Dr. Jones was certainly excited about this. "Yes. I remember him now." Feeling a sudden lethargy flooding through her, she smiled slightly. "He wasn't there before. But I remember now."

"Donna! Donna!"

Her name floated back to her as if from a long hallway and then there was silence.

Jack and Martha watched as the retcon took effect, pushing Donna into a healing sleep. "What do you think she meant by that?" he asked.

"I don't know. She remembers now?" Martha sighed. "I wonder if she heard the TARDIS and it triggered something."

"Of course, it's possible that the Doctor crossed her timeline like he did to us," Jack said. "I told you he showed up in Cardiff two days ago."

Martha ran a scanner over the woman. "Her brain activity is falling off to normal levels." She looked up at Jack. "I think it's working."

"Ianto and I will get her home. It'll take her a while to sleep this one off, and she should wake up in the morning and remember none of it." He sighed and stared down at Donna. "In some ways, she might have been better off dead."

"Jack! How can you say that?" Martha asked.

He looked at her with ancient eyes. "You're right," he said. "I shouldn't say that."

Her expression let him know that she wasn't fooled by his words. "Take her home. I'll go talk to Sylvia."

"Yes, ma'am."

Martha shook her head as she walked out, but there was a tiny grin on her face. She walked out to the front where Donna's mother was waiting.

"Is she all right?"

"She's asleep. Proper sleep, no dreams." Martha looked at Sylvia. "We've given her a pill that makes her forget. When she wakes up, she'll be back to normal."

Sylvia sighed and collapsed back into her chair. "Oh, thank heavens. But she'll be okay now?"

"Yeah." She handed the older woman a card. "If it happens again, just call me. We can give her five more doses of that before we need to find something else."

"Thank you, Dr. Jones."

Just then Jack walked through the lobby with Donna in his arms. Sylvia ran over and brushed her hair back out of her face. "She's just asleep, Mrs. Noble," Jack said.

"Oh, how am I going to get her inside?"

Jack poured on the charm. "We'll take her home and get her in bed for you." He caught Martha's dark look at his words and smiled. "We'll take good care of Donna."

"You'd better." Sylvia stood and pulled out her keys. "So, shall I lead you home?"

"Oh, we know the way." Walking out to the Torchwood vehicle, they settled Donna in the backseat. Ianto climbed into the driver's seat as Martha and Jack took seats on each side of the sleeping woman.

Once they had Donna safely at home, the four of them headed back out of London toward Cardiff. It was only when they stopped for a quick meal that they finally got to discuss the situation.

"What exactly happened to her, Jack?" Gwen asked.

He sipped his coffee and grimaced. "You want the long version or the short version?"

"Whichever explains what's wrong with the woman."

"Fine. She was part of a residual regeneration energy transfer and took an alien consciousness into her head."

"Oh." Gwen looked toward Martha. "And I suppose that your Doctor was part of that?"

Martha grinned. "Well, his hand was, anyway."

When Jack laughed out loud at her joke, Gwen just shook her head. "Really don't want to know that bit. So, what happened to her after the energy transfer?"

That sobered the both of them. "The Doctor wiped her mind. He had to. Humans aren't built to withstand that sort of power," Martha said. "That's why we have to keep her from remembering. It'll burn her mind up."

"Rose about killed herself trying that trick," Jack said.

"And who's Rose?"

Martha smiled again. "Remember the blonde girl that was there in the TARDIS when the Doctor was asking about your family?"

"Oh. Well, couldn't he do what he did for her, since she obviously survived whatever she did?" Gwen asked.

Jack looked thoughtful. "Don't think so. Rose took the time vortex in her head, and it killed the Doctor fixing that one. Besides, it was his essence that Donna absorbed."

"I don't mean to interrupt your discussion, but how exactly are we supposed to be monitoring Ms. Noble in London while we're in Cardiff?" Ianto asked.

"Good question." Jack pulled out his phone and dialed. "Mickey?"

"_Yeah, boss?"_

"Put a complete computer and CCTV trace on Donna Noble."

"_You got it."_

He snapped the phone closed. "Well, that takes care of a good portion of it."

"Except for random time travelers approaching her on the street," Ianto observed calmly.

"Now that one is a challenge, I admit." The American sighed and thought about it. "We'll have to work on that one."

"Why don't we do a background check on her coworkers? And her friends?" Gwen asked. "I mean, we should be able to limit our amount of surveillance by determining who poses the greatest risks."

"Good thinking. Ianto, when we get back, coordinate with Mickey and have them for me ASAP."

"On it."

He looked over at Martha. "So, I guess that means that you're going to be on call for retcon."

"Understood."

"Then let's get back to Cardiff."

--

Donna met Carol after work, and the two women traveled to a nearby boutique. As they walked in, Donna inhaled at the mass of white fabric. "I can't believe I'm finally getting married after all this time," she said as she looked at the dresses on display.

"You're so lucky. Ben is such a nice guy," Carol said. "I am so jealous!"

The giggles betrayed her words, and Donna grinned. "It'll be your turn. Now, let's get some help over here." She waved her hand, getting the attention of a sales assistant. "Come on, girl! I am in need of a wedding dress."

For the next several hours, Donna tried on dresses. She finally settled on a straight lined gown, designed in a vaguely 1920's style. The white hat completed the look magnificently. After paying for her choice, she thanked her friend and headed home.

"I got it," she called as she entered the house. "Mum! Granddad!"

"In here," Wilf called from the kitchen. "Let's see it."

She breezed into the kitchen and swept the garment bag over her arm. "It's white, and gorgeous, and I'll go try it on so you can see it," she said with a big smile.

"Well, let's see it then," he said with a smile. "Go on with you."

"Be right back." It only took her a few moments before she was parading through the kitchen. "Based on genuine vintage designs, this satin creation brings back the all the glamour of the Twenties," she said, spinning and repeating the sales pitch. "And look. I've even got a pocket."

"Oh, Donna, you look lovely," her grandfather said as he stood and hugged her.

"Thanks, Granddad. Now, where's Mum gone?"

"She's got her garden club meeting this evening."

Donna nodded. "Good. I'm glad that she's finally picked that back up again. I had wanted to show her, but if she's gone, then I'll go ahead and put it up." She planted a quick kiss on the old man's cheek and whirled away. "Be right back."

Once she'd changed out of her wedding dress and had carefully packed it away, she rejoined her grandfather in the kitchen. "Since Mum's out all evening, how about some take away?"

"That's fine, Donna. Just nothing from that shop on the corner. The last time I ate there I got indigestion something fierce," he said as she began looking though the local menus.

The phone rang as Donna reached for it. "Hello? Oh, hi, Ben." She smiled when she saw Wilf's resigned face. "Listen. Me and Granddad's about to get some dinner, so can I call you back in a couple hours? Thanks. Bye."

She made a face at him. "See? I don't have to be on the phone with him all night."

"That was your mother's complaint, not mine," he said with a grin that told her that he'd said it too.

"Whatever." Donna dialed the phone and placed the order. "Now that that's done, what are you up for?"

Wilf suggested a game, and they were still sitting there playing when the food was delivered. They played around their meal, laughing and talking, and were still at it when Sylvia got home.

"How long have you two been up to this?" she demanded as she walked in and stared at the table covered with food cartons and playing cards.

Donna and Wilf stared up at her guiltily before bursting into simultaneous laughter. Sylvia shook her head. "I swear. Neither of you seem like you're ready to grow up anytime soon."

"Oi! I bought my wedding dress today," Donna said, sobering enough to speak. "And within three weeks, I will be married to Mr. Benjamin Savage."

Sylvia stopped and stared at her. "You've got the dress already?"

"Yeah. I'll go try it on." Donna left the messy table and went to her room. It didn't take long to get the dress on. Walking back to the kitchen in her bare feet, she heard yet another serious conversation between her mother and grandfather. She stood still, straining to hear the words, but they were always too low. Frustrated, she stomped into the room. "Oi! Mind explaining to me how come every time I leave a room you two go to whispering like old women? What's going on?"

They exchanged looks before Sylvia really looked at her. "Oh, Donna, you look lovely," she said, looking at the dress closely. A genuine smile grew across her face. "You're beautiful."

"Well, um, thanks," Donna said, unsure of the reception she was getting. "I like it, too." She took in the compliment before crossing her arms and tapping her foot impatiently. "But I still want to know about these whispers are all about!" When neither of them answered her, she leaned forward on the table and faced them. "I need to know. Am I dying?"

"No, no!" Sylvia and Wilf both answered too quickly.

"I am. I'm dying," Donna said in horror, staring at them. "What is it? Cancer? Stroke? What?"

"Don't be stupid," her mother snapped.

Wilf put his hand up, halting the dramatics. "Donna. Do you remember that trip to the specialist a few months ago?" He waited for her nod before he continued. "You have a benign, and might I say tiny growth in your brain. That was what caused that awful headache. Once we discovered what it was, it was very easily treated." Staring hard at Donna, he continued. "Even if it does come back, then it is easily taken care of."

"Really?"

He smiled broadly. "Had any more headaches?"

Donna stared at him. "Well, why didn't you just tell me then?"

"Because you blow everything out of proportion," her mother said. "Look at yourself. Standing in your wedding dress assuming that you're dying."

She had the grace to look embarrassed. "Well, what else was I supposed to think? You two are always talking about me behind my back."

"Well, there. It's out in the open now and we don't have to worry about it. Now go put your dress up. We've still got a lot to discuss before the wedding." Sylvia began clearing off the table. "The least you could've done was to make the final decisions about the flowers. I swear, Dad, you're as bad as she is. Children, the both of you."

Reassured by her mother's normal rant, Donna left. As she put her dress away, she sighed. Since she'd woken the day after that horrible headache, she had the impression that her family was trying to keep a secret from her. Finally getting it in the open helped.


	7. Chapter 7

Mickey Smith sat in front of the bank of computer monitors in Torchwood. This Cardiff branch was completely different from the parallel Torchwood. For one thing, Capt. Flash was in charge. He suppressed a grin. Never in a million years would he have guessed that he'd end up working for Jack. In fact, seeing the man flirting with his girlfriend had done nothing but generate irritation bordering on hatred. However, once he'd seen Rose's dedication for the Doctor, it was easier to accept the American as the flirt that he was.

A tiny box popped up in the corner, and he read it quickly. "Jack!" he shouted.

"What now?"

Mickey dashed through the Hub to the Rift manipulator. "Rift activity! Big one!"

Just as he shouted the words, the whole Hub shook and dimmed as the power tried to compensate for the flare. Gwen ran over to join Mickey. "What's going on?"

He shook his head as he looked through the gauges. "Barely got any warning on that one."

"Damage report," Jack said as he ran up.

"Manipulator seems to have contained everything. Nothing registered outside the Hub except a small seismic blip." He looked up in relief. "We got the brunt of it, but no damage."

"We got lucky," Jack said. "Mickey, see if you can find out what triggered that. Gwen, check with your buddies at the police and see if anything unexplained showed up. A disturbance that big probably means something came through."

"On it."

Mickey and Gwen watched as Jack left them alone. "That's the third one of these in a week," she said, keeping her voice low. "Something big is trying to come through, isn't it?"

"I don't know. I can't get a trace on any of them."

She put a friendly hand on his shoulder. "I'm sure you'll figure this out."

He glanced up with a grin. "Go on, then. Capt. Flash will want a report from you."

"Still on for a trip to the pub?" Gwen asked as she walked away.

"Wouldn't miss it."

Mickey finished what he was doing and then headed back to his computers. It hadn't taken long after Jack had dragged him in to take over their computer specialist's position that he and Gwen had become friends. Strangely enough, if it hadn't been for her husband, then they probably would've been just workplace mates, but Rhys had quickly latched on to Mickey as the only normal member of Torchwood. Since then, the three of them met at least weekly at Rhys's favorite pub to watch the match.

Punching in the data from the most recent activity, Mickey stared at the numbers flowing down the screen. None of it made any sense, but he would make sure that Jack had all the information he needed.

Working with Rose at the other Torchwood had honed his skills. He enjoyed the field work, but the computer work was where he could really lose himself, and his instincts proved to be a distinct advantage. His gut told him that something really big was at work here, but he couldn't find anything to back that up.

He leaned back in his chair. Staring at the activity log for the three incidents, he frowned as he noticed tiny spikes in between the main ones. Tapping a few keys, he focused in on them. After a moment, he identified them, but it left more questions than answers.

Seeking another opinion, he ran over to Martha's lab. "Hey, Martha. You traveled with the Doctor for a while, didn't you?" he asked.

She looked up and nodded. "Yeah. Why?"

"Did he ever mention anything about the TARDIS giving off gamma radiation?"

"Not that I remember." She leaned against the empty exam table and crossed her arms. "Now, the Master could've done something to it when he got a hold of the TARDIS and turned it into a paradox machine, but the Doctor and Jack fixed that. Or at least they said they had."

"A paradox machine?" Mickey considered that. "I don't know if that would affect the background radiation output, but I can ask Jack. Thanks, Martha."

"You're welcome."

He ran up the ramp and headed for Jack's office. Knocking, he listened for the usual bark to come in, but there was nothing. Shrugging, he decided to go back to his station when he ran into Jack, literally, as he turned the corner.

"Mickey. I was just looking for you for an update," Jack said.

"Good. 'Cause I've got something to show you." He took the lead and headed back to the computers. "All right. Here's the log showing the spikes from the three big ones we've had." Focusing in on his find, he pointed the tiny spikes out to Jack. "But this is gamma radiation, not the usual mess of energy from the Rift."

"Gamma radiation? Is it enough to be harmful?"

Mickey shook his head. "The manipulator has built in shields to negate any type of harmful radiation like that."

"Well, then, the question is why would we get gamma radiation, and in such small doses?" Jack asked as he leaned over to peer at the data.

"What I'm thinking is that the big disturbances are just practice. Like a dress rehearsal. Those gamma spikes are the real problem, because someone's trying to tune into us and get something through."

Jack stared, his face impassive as Mickey continued. "See, there are much bigger and less controlled gamma spikes in the disturbances themselves, but each one of the little spikes afterward is carefully controlled. It's like someone's pounding on the door, then trying to sneak in the back."

"So something very smart is trying to manipulate the Rift to get through to our world," Jack said. "Any idea of what uses gamma radiation?"

"Well, I asked Martha if the TARDIS put out gamma radiation, but she didn't know. What she did say was there was a paradox machine." Mickey hid a smile at the startled look he got. "She said you and the Doctor fixed it, but could the TARDIS be throwing out gamma radiation? Because those spikes look like someone who is very used to traveling through space and time."

"Impossible," Jack said, shaking his head. "While I can't pretend to be an expert on the TARDIS, I can say that gamma radiation is child's play next to those systems. The Time Lords were way more advanced than we ever have been, even as far as I've been."

"Okay. Do the Daleks or Cybermen use gamma radiation?"

"I don't think so. Okay. So we know what it is. Next question, is there any way to counteract it?"

"Yeah." Mickey pushed past him and punched the computer keys harder than he needed to. "When the next disturbance occurs, we can flood the Rift itself with light. I'll need to calculate the exact frequency needed, but once I get it, the light will scatter the gamma radiation and that should work."

Jack clapped Mickey on the shoulder. "And the Doctor called you an idiot. Get on it, and then we'll go on alert."

"Got it, boss."

"Good job, Mickey. I'll go have Ianto start investigating known aliens that use gamma ray technology."

Mickey leaned back in his chair, relieved that he'd managed to perform well on his first major crisis. Putting the variables in, he started the program running to calculate the wavelength necessary to disburse the gamma radiation.

He didn't know much about his predecessor except her name and a few work habits. Gwen had mentioned their two lost team members, and he knew that the computer operator had been Toshiko Sato. He'd discovered that she was quite fastidious about her programs, and he had been impressed by the complexity of her own research.

"Ready to go?" Gwen asked.

"Go?" Mickey looked up from his work. "Whoa. Where'd the time go?"

"Workaholic," she said with a sheepish grin. "I told Rhys we'd meet him a half hour ago."

"Gimme just a sec while I finish this up." He typed in the final instructions and hit enter. "All right. All done. Let's go."

As they walked out to the pub, she looked over at Mickey. "You know that we're on call until the next Rift activity."

"Yeah, I know. We should still have time for a pint or two, though. Besides, Rhys bet me a fiver on the match."

She laughed and shook her head. "I swear, you boys."

"Yep."

"It's about bloody time," Rhys griped from the bar. "Almost an hour late."

"You just called me ten minutes ago, you great oaf," Gwen said as she gave him a big hug. "Two more pints, John."

"Has the match started yet?" Mickey asked as he took the glass and downed nearly half of it.

"Almost." Rhys nodded toward the screen. "This one should be a close one."

"Don't get started, Rhys. I hear enough about football during the match," she said as she sipped her own glass. "So, how was work today?"

"I was a driver short. Again. I don't know how I'm supposed to keep up with corporate's demands." He sighed heavily and drained his drink. "Those buggers think that I must be magic to keep the trucks on the road without enough guys."

"So hire women," his wife said, keeping a tight leash on her grin.

"Don't look at me, mate," Mickey grinned when Rhys scowled at Gwen. "I spent all my time around the Tyler women. There's nothing they can't do."

"That's all I need. Moody women on top of blokes who won't show up."

Gwen elbowed him right in the gut. "Someone wants to sleep on the sofa again."

Rhys grabbed her and squeezed her, planting a noisy kiss right on her mouth. There were a couple cheers from other patrons, and Gwen stumbled back with a blush on her face. "That's the best way to shut her up," he laughed as he kissed her again, this time more lovingly.

"Ooh, you'll pay for that," she growled as she pulled away. "In fact, I think I'll just …"

Two mobile phones rang at the same instant, and Gwen and Mickey looked at their phones simultaneously. Mickey took off out the door. Turning to Rhys, she hugged him quickly as she looked at him sorrowfully. "I'm sorry, I've got to go."

He nodded sadly. "Be careful."

"I will." Gwen whirled and followed Mickey out of the pub. She saw him running across the plaza and tried to catch up with him. However, he still beat her into the Hub by quite a bit. She was panting heavily as she got to the Rift Manipulator.

"It's about time, Gwen," Jack said as he glanced up. "Hold on!"

The flare up within the Rift made her clench her eyes shut, and she grabbed onto a nearby column as the Hub shook violently.

"This is the strongest one so far!" Mickey shouted from his place by the controls. "Check radiation levels!"

"Containment is reaching its limits!" Ianto shouted. "Twenty seconds before radiation exposure!"

"Martha!" Jack yelled.

"Got it!"

She tried to run through the shaking, which stopped as suddenly as it started. The doctor disappeared into her lab.

"Containment stabilizing," Ianto said.

"Show's yours, Mickey."

He turned a knob on the controls before dashing to his computer. "Light disbursal in three, two, one." Hitting the enter key, he looked toward the Rift. "And that was it."

Everyone looked around. "What do you mean, that's it. No explosion, no fireworks?" Jack asked.

"That was it. The gamma spikes in the aftermath were tiny and we shouldn't have felt anything," Mickey said. Pulling up the activity data, he peered at the chart. "It worked. There are no more spikes after the big one." He grinned up at everyone. "We did it."

There was relieved laughter from everyone. Martha came back into the room with a handful of needles and stared at them. "What's going on?"

"We're done," Jack said. "Whatever was trying to get through was turned back."

"Well, that's the easiest stop to an invasion we've ever had," Gwen said. "So what now?"

"Go home, kids. The rest of the evening's yours." Jack turned around to Mickey. "And good job, Mickey. I can see what Rose saw in you."

"No, you can't," he said with a sad grin. "I'm nowhere near the same person I was then."

"But she knew, didn't she? Rosie sees a lot." Jack smacked him on the back and turned. "Have a pint on me, okay?"

"Got it."

Mickey walked over to Gwen. "We can still catch the rest of the match if we hurry," he said with a big grin. "I have a good feeling about…"

The lights flickered throughout the Hub. Mickey turned and raced back to his computers just as Ianto shouted, "Power grids going offline throughout Cardiff!"

When the lights went out completely, Gwen hit her computer until the emergency generator kicked on. "Power going down across western Europe!"

"What the hell's going on?" Jack asked as he stared over Mickey's shoulder.

"I don't know. There are no power readings coming from the Rift," he said.

"Well, it has to be something causing this."

"No, Jack! It's not that there's nothing coming from the Rift. I mean that the Rift is gone! Look for yourself!"

"What?" Jack ran over to the manipulator. "It's not there!"

"What do we do now, Jack?" Gwen asked.

"I have no idea."


	8. Chapter 8

Rose sighed as she collapsed into bed. Rolling over on her side, she curled around her round belly as she rubbed it. The kick that moved her hand drew a smile. The baby was certainly an active one. She wrapped her arms around the bump, hugging herself. She couldn't wait until the baby was born.

Looking at the clock, she groaned. It was going to be another late night before the Doctor got home. Resigned to waiting, she sat up, propping herself up on pillows and grabbing the remote. She turned on the telly and started flipping between channels.

Ever since the Ortavican conference where she'd discovered she was pregnant, he'd been spending tremendous amounts of time in the R & D section of Torchwood. Acting more like the other Doctor than she felt comfortable with, he made the autocratic decision that the two of them would no longer be working in the field. While Rose appreciated that he was just being protective of her, she chafed at once again having her fate decided by him. However, when she'd started having problems with the pregnancy at three months, she had been grateful for the time he'd spent at the hospital with her while they fought to save the baby.

When she was released, he had taken her out for dinner. After the meal, he had convinced her that a walk was necessary. As they walked by a small house, he called out to the woman sitting on a bench in the garden. Rose was normally not slow, but it was only after they'd gotten into the house when she finally figured out that they were looking for a place of their own.

They'd signed the lease that night, and moved in within the week. Rose smiled, and it had nothing to do with the program on the TV. Domestic with the Doctor was something else. The simplest of everyday chores could sometimes stump him. The first time the sink had stopped up he had taken the whole thing apart trying to fix it. His response to fixing up the second bedroom for the baby, though, had been touching. Rose had caught him standing in the room in the dark, running his hands over the cot.

A horn sounded outside, startling her. She turned the television off, since she hadn't watched a single thing. Leaving just the lamp on, she settled down into bed. One thing that hadn't improved, though, was the nightmares. He suffered nightly from the visions, and Rose felt ill-equipped to help him. She held him and offered to talk them out, but she had noticed that on the mornings following a particularly bad night he would spend hours upon hours in the research department.

His behavior was beginning to worry her. Despite her questions, he had insisted that he was fine and that everything would work out. Even leading questions to her father had yielded nothing. Rose seriously considered telling Jackie about her suspicions and setting her loose on Pete, but thought that the line needed to be drawn somewhere.

She finally heard the door close, and snuggled down in the bed. It was useless to try to pretend to be asleep, so she watched as he came into the bedroom.

"Why are you still awake?" he asked quietly.

"You weren't home." She smiled at him. "I sleep better when you're here."

He grinned, and she tried to tell herself that the exhaustion was just her imagination. Kicking his trainers off out of the way, he dropped his jacket over a nearby chair. It didn't take but another moment to join her in bed.

"So, what did you do today?" she asked as she curled up next to him.

"I helped with one of Pete's projects."

Rose sighed, recognizing the dodge for what it was. "Listen. Mum's wanting to meet for lunch tomorrow. Care to join us?"

She felt more than heard his snort of laughter. "I think I'm busy tomorrow."

"Oh, come on! Mum's been positively nice to you recently."

"And I find that terrifying." The Doctor rubbed his hand over her belly gently. "We'll ask Jackie and Pete over for dinner sometime next week. How's that instead?"

In spite of herself, Rose giggled. "You're so pathetic. After all this time you're still scared of my mother."

"Just because she hasn't slapped me since I got here doesn't mean that there isn't one coming. One slight to you, imagined or not, and she'll lay into me."

"You're so gay."

The conversation brought back memories of a northern accent just after Jackie's first assault on the Doctor. Rose sighed happily and rested her head on his shoulder. "What night?"

"Does Thursday sound all right?" he asked.

"That's fine. I'll cook." She waited for the sarcastic laugh, but she didn't get one. Her cooking wasn't gourmet, but they could eat her meals satisfactorily now.

Rose blinked, aware that something was wrong. They'd fallen asleep, but something had woken her. She looked at the Doctor, expecting another nightmare, but his eyes were open. "Doctor! What's wrong?"

He didn't answer except to grab his head with both hands and curl into a ball. She tried to touch him, but she flinched when she felt him jerk and scream at the contact. Rose climbed out of bed and wrapped a robe around her. She had her mobile in her hand and hit speed dial before she knew what she was doing.

"What is it, sweetheart?" Jackie said, her voice still sleepy. "Is it the baby?"

"No. It's the Doctor. Something's wrong!" she said, trying to keep from breaking down. "He's in horrible pain!"

She heard some words at a distance before Pete's calm voice came across. "Rose, what exactly is wrong?"

"He woke me up. I thought it was just a nightmare, but he was awake. Then he just grabbed his head and screamed." The dam broke and her breath caught on a sob. "I don't know what to do."

"I'm calling Jake. We'll be right there. Stay on the line with your mother."

"Rose? Rose, honey, are you all right?"

"Yeah," she gulped out.

"Come on, Rose. Talk to me. Your father's on his way, so help's on the way."

Tears made words impossible. Rose stared through watery eyes to see the Doctor meet her gaze. She rushed to his side, letting the phone drop on the floor. "What happened?" she asked. She reached out her hand to touch him but hesitated before actual contact.

"I'm so sorry," he said, his voice barely audible. "I tried. I did. I tried."

"Shh. Don't talk, then. Dad's on his way and we'll get you taken care of," she said. "You'll be fine."

"Rose Tyler," he said, a grimace distorting his features. "I love you."

"I love you too. Now just be quiet." Rose brushed the hair away from his face. "You'll be fine."

He ground his teeth as he tried to suppress a groan, but it slipped out. Tears streamed down her face as she hugged him to her. By the time she heard the vehicles pull up outside, he was unconscious. Torchwood personnel carried him out efficiently, but Rose didn't see any of it. She realized that someone was telling her to get dressed so she could go with them. It took finding a change of clothes in her hands to realize what she needed to do.

Somehow, she got to Torchwood. She was sitting in a plastic chair outside of the medical department when Jackie found her. "Oh, sweetheart. I'm so sorry. What's wrong with him?"

"I don't know, Mum. Nobody will tell me anything." Rose sniffed and wiped her nose on her sleeve. "I just don't know what's going to happen to him."

"I'm going to find your father. He'll know what's going on," Jackie announced. "Will you be all right for a bit?"

Rose nodded absently. In fact, she didn't even notice when her mother left. She sat there, staring back to the doors that had closed her off from the Doctor.

"Ms. Tyler?"

She looked up into a familiar face and nodded. "Yes?"

"If you'll follow us."

Standing, Rose wondered why the lighting seemed to dim. She blinked the effect away and walked behind the doctor.

He was lying in a bed, covered with a blanket and hooked up to machines. With his eyes closed and his face pale, he didn't even look like her lover. She sank into the chair that had been placed at his side. "What's wrong with him?" she asked.

"He's had some sort of neurological breakdown. We're running every test we can but so far we haven't found the source of the problem."

"Neural implosion."

"What?"

Rose never took her eyes off the Doctor. "He's having a neural implosion. He had one once before."

"I'm sorry, but I've never heard of something like that," the doctor said. "In fact it sounds like something created for one of those hospital dramas on the telly."

"Have you tried to give him tea?" she asked, coming alive as memories of a Christmas long past flooded back to her.

"Tea? I'm sorry, Ms. Tyler, but we're caring for this patient, and hysterical ideas will only interfere with any chance of recovery."

Rose stood, energized with a plan. "I don't care. Listen, I need tea. Hot tea. Lots of it. And bring it in here."

"Now, Ms. Tyler, I will you have you removed…"

"You will not," Pete Tyler said from the doorway. "Do as she says." When the doctor stood there, staring at them both in amazement, he snapped, "She knows what she's doing. Now get out."

"Thank you," Rose said.

"Are you sure about this?" Pete asked once they were alone. "Tea?"

A ghost of a grin crossed her face. "Mum's tea, to be precise."

"All right." He pulled Rose into a gentle hug. "I'm sorry, Rose."

"We'll set it right. We will. You'll see." She pulled away and resumed her place beside the Doctor. Pushing the hair back away from his face, she sighed shakily. "We'll fix you this time."

Jackie and the tea arrived at the same time. Rose directed them to put the tea on the bedside table, and she waved a cup by his face. Within minutes, he began moaning.

"I don't believe it," Pete said. "That's got to be the strangest thing I've ever seen."

"It worked before, and on board some big alien space ship," Jackie said. "And he's had a liking for my tea ever since."

"Give me the spoon, Mum. Dad, can you sit the bed up?" Rose asked.

As soon as the semi-conscious Doctor was nearly upright, she began spooning the tea into him. After the third dose, his eyes opened up.

"Hey there," Rose said, her joy shining through the tears.

"Rose."

"I'm here." She looked into his eyes. "I remembered. Neural implosion, just like after your regeneration. And we got Mum's tea for you. We'll get you all fixed up."

"Rose, there's not much time."

"What?"

Neither of them noticed when Pete drew his wife back away to give them some privacy. "Rose, I'm so sorry. I wanted to see the baby."

"Don't talk like that. We'll get you fixed up," she said, tears building as she began to realize that he was saying goodbye again.

"No. There's no fixing this body. There's been too much damage." He sighed. "You'll be taken care of."

"Don't say that."

"I have to. I knew this was coming, but I hoped it would be longer. I love you."

"I love you too. Now, please, don't." Rose began crying in earnest. "I can't lose you again."

The Doctor looked toward Pete, who nodded solemnly at him. A sudden smile crossed his face as he stared at Rose. "You know what?"

"What?" she asked, afraid to hear what he had to say.

"You were brilliant. And so was I." His eyes closed, and Rose leaned toward him. "Rose Tyler, Defender of the Universe."

"You can't go," she sobbed, but there was no movement. The single heartbeat that had lulled her to sleep so often was silent, and she ignored the medical personnel that flooded into the room until they pulled her away from him. As she fought to get back to his side, she heard her mother's voice in her ear, but she ignored the words. Those hateful words couldn't be true.

When Pete finally turned her so that she had to face him, she finally heard the finality of the words. The lights began to dim again as she dropped to the floor.


	9. Chapter 9

Donna stared into the mirror. She couldn't keep the smile off of her face. She was finally getting married. Tugging the dress into place, she whirled, checking everything once again.

As she stared at her reflection, she shook her head as she recalled wearing something similar to this, except in a lovely lavender color. Shaking her head, she deliberately turned her thoughts from fanciful imaginings. Picking up the white hat, she placed it carefully on top of her hair.

"Why ever did you choose an evening wedding?" Sylvia said as she burst through the door.

"Why not? You insisted that we not have a reception," Donna said with a smile. "So, what do you think?"

"Donna, you look absolutely lovely."

She shivered with the compliment. "Thanks, Mum. So, any last words of encouragement?"

"Only for you to be happy. Life's too short to waste it."

Wilf stuck his head in the door. "Is she ready yet?"

"Granddad! It's a good thing I'm dressed," she said. "I'm coming. And besides, it's not like they can start without me."

The old man held his arm out formally. "Then your husband awaits you."

Slipping her hand through the crook of his arm, she took the bouquet that her mother handed her. "I love you both, so much," she said with a joyful little laugh. "Now let's get this show on the road."

Wilf and Donna took their places at the back of the church, letting Sylvia take her seat. As the music played, they began their slow steps toward the front of the church.

Donna grinned as she felt her heart fluttering with excitement. She could feel the adrenaline racing through her. _She was in a coral room with some sort of strange controls in the center._ Her steps faltered as she tried to blink away the image.

"Are you all right?" her grandfather asked.

"Yeah, fine."

"_That's it! Best day of your life, walking down the aisle…"_

Where were these words coming from? She'd never been married before. She focused on Ben's face, that wonderful, handsome face waiting for her at the front. Donna inhaled, trying to force the images back.

Then she took her place beside Ben. Smiling shakily up at him, she hoped that he would mistake her trembling for nerves. The vicar began speaking, and Donna fought to hear the words. She must have responded at the right points, because he took her hand and slipped a ring on her finger.

"With this ring, I thee wed."

"_With this ring, I thee bio-damp."_

She shook her head. "Stop it," she whispered to herself.

"What?" Ben asked with a frown.

"Nothing. Sorry. Just a case of the nerves," she said, trying to convince him. "I'm sorry. Can we continue?"

He nodded, and the vicar began speaking again. Donna somehow managed to get his ring on and the correct words said. She looked toward Ben and saw a skinny bloke in a brown suit with wild hair. Clamping her eyes shut, she shook her head.

"Is something wrong?"

She looked up at her fiancé with his blonde hair and his blue eyes and felt fear building in her stomach. "I don't know," she whispered.

"Donna?"

The vicar looked different than he did before, and suddenly she saw a giant wasp. Screaming, she ducked and covered her head.

"Donna!"

"_There's something on your back!"_

"Come on, Dad! Do something!"

"_You're not mating with me, Sunshine!"_

"Call that Dr. Jones with Torchwood! Come on, Donna. It's me. It's your granddad."

"_Yes you are. You're brilliant!"_

"There's no signal. Is she remembering?"

"_Donna Noble has left the library. Donna Noble has been saved."_

"Donna, love, what's wrong?"

"_Veni, vidi, vici!"_

"Someone get a doctor!"

"_He saves planets, rescues civilizations, defeats terrible creatures. And runs a lot."_

Doctor, Doctor, Doctor, Doctor Who? Donna knew it was important, but all she could see was a concerned face with dark brown eyes. Brown eyes? Ben had blue eyes. Who had brown eyes?

"_Doctor, Donna, Friends."_

"Donna, can you hear me? It's your mother. Come on, Donna. We're here for you. Just come back."

"Donna. It's me, Ben. I love you. Come on, baby, wake up."

"Sweetheart, it's Granddad. Just wake up. Open your eyes for us. Wake up."

The voices swirled around her, surrounding her with sound. Donna fought to make sense of the madness that her world had degraded into. She needed a Doctor. Why did she need the Doctor? Was she sick? She didn't hurt. There was no pain. In fact, she smiled. She felt so free. She knew things. Things that no one else knew, and she knew them.

Opening her eyes, she saw the concerned faces of Sylvia, Ben, and Wilf hovering above her. She smiled again, this time enjoying their relief.

"How do you feel?"

"_And how does that feel?"_

"Brilliant," Donna whispered. "Fantastic. Molto Bene." With every word, her voice grew stronger. "Great big universe, packed into my brain. You know you can fix that chameleon circuit if you just try hotwiring the fragment links and superseding the binary binary binary binary binary binary binary binary binary binary binary binary binary binary binary…"

"Donna! What's wrong?"

"I met Agatha Christie," she said.

"What?"

Donna blinked and met her mother's gaze. "I helped blow up Vesuvius and buried Pompeii so we could save Earth."

"She's delirious," Sylvia said.

Her mother's face was wet. There was something wrong with that. "I watched the sky burn."

"Donna!"

A strange sense of peace settled onto the woman. "I was going to be with you forever," she said as her eyes closed.

"Donna, speak to me!"

Her eyes fluttered open for one last time. "I remember, Granddad. Tell him that. Tell him I remember now. And no one can take that away from me."

The family stared into her face, watching as Donna Noble's eyes closed. The final breath escaped through a smile, and the Savior of the Universe was no more.


	10. Chapter 10

_Again, thanks to everyone who's reviewed. Only three more reviews to make this my most successful story to date. :D_

"Oh, Jenny, what have you done?"

"What do you mean? I _found _her," Jenny protested. "You told me to show up here. I found her just wondering around out there."

"It can't be," he said as he sat down on the bed. Pushing the matted hair back, the Doctor stared down into the sleeping face. "How did she get here?"

Jenny leaned against the wall. "I don't know." She stared at the woman and her father's reaction. "You know her?"

"Yeah."

"She calls for you," Jenny said. "That's how I knew that you did send me."

"How long has she been here?"

"No idea. She was in bad shape. I took care of her, but she needs help."

"Don't you have a ship?" the Doctor asked.

"Nah. I traveled alone, and besides, this thing will only take me. I made a couple trips, looking for you, but other than bringing back some supplies I haven't been able to leave her for long." She stared at him. "What's her name?"

"Rose."

"Well, since you're here now with your ship, we can take her somewhere to get more help than I can give her." Jenny started gathering things from the makeshift bedroom.

"Of course," the Doctor said, snapping out of his trance. "Rose? Can you wake up?"

"Doctor," she moaned, rolling over on her back and pulling the rough blanket tight against her.

He stared at her rounded belly. "Rose. Oh. Well, um, yeah, obviously."

"You can't leave me! I made the tea and everything! I remembered. I swear I did."

"Rose, I'm not leaving you. I'm here," he said, turning her face toward his. "We're just going to get you to the TARDIS."

"She's like this most of the time," Jenny said. "Doesn't make much sense."

"What? What do you mean?" The Doctor pulled the semi-conscious woman into his arms. "Rose?"

"Traskitalians left the message. She's dying. The Savior's dying." Her wild eyes stared up at the Doctor. "I saved her once, but I can't save her this time. She's gone. And she's the key to everything."

"What? Who's the Savior?" he asked. "Rose, tell me. Who's the Savior?"

"I can't tell you," she said, her voice dropping to a whisper. "You're dead."

His jaw dropped as his mind connected the dots. "Oh, no, Rose. I'm sorry. I am so sorry." He rocked her gently in his arms. "I didn't know. I couldn't know."

"What's wrong?" Jenny asked. "Didn't know what?"

His voice was lifeless as he told about Donna, the new Doctor, and his heavy-handed decision to send Rose back with the other Doctor. "I just assumed that since he only had the one life to live out that they could grow old together."

"One life? So, what, you have more than one?" Jenny stared at her father. "Do I have more than one?"

"I don't know. You're still here, although since you look the same it's possible that you just went into a healing trance." He looked down at the still woman in his arms. "Can you help me get her back to the TARDIS?"

"Of course." She noticed that since he'd picked Rose up, he didn't show any inclination to release her. "It's cold out there. Here." She helped him wrap the blanket around Rose. "I can get our things."

They left the room with Jenny leading the way. Once out on the surface, they found that the storm had worsened. It was only when he directed Jenny to get the sonic screwdriver out and what setting to use that they could even figure out which direction to go. It still took nearly twice as long as it had for him earlier, and he could feel Rose shuddering with the cold. The wind tore at exposed skin, so by the time they burst through the doors, even he and Jenny were freezing.

He pushed past her as she stopped, staring around the interior of the TARDIS. "Oh, Dad, this is fantastic!" she said, barely noticing that he continued through the control room and out the door.

The Doctor didn't bother to look up when she finally found him in the medical bay. "How is she?"

He shook his head. "I don't know. She's showing signs of hypothermia. We've got to get her warm."

"Gotcha."

The two of them worked on Rose. She woke enough to ramble on, but nothing made sense to either of them. He had to sedate her after she nearly rolled off the table in a thrashing fit.

As soon as she was settled, the Doctor ran a complete scan of her. "All right. Body temperature nearing normal. There's no sign of neurological trauma. No broken bones. Baby is nearing full-term." He frowned.

"What is it?"

"That's impossible."

"What?"

"That's just not possible."

"Dad!"

"What?"

"What's impossible?" she asked.

He showed her the screen of the diagnostic tool. "What do you see?"

Jenny squinted. "There's two heart beats." She looked up at him. "So? You have two hearts, I have two hearts."

"He had one."

"Oh." She looked at Rose. "And she's human, right?"

"Oh, yes." He glanced down at the sleeping woman. "Stay here and watch her. I'm going to get us out of here."

"Okay."

The Doctor ran to the control room. He set the coordinates for Cardiff. Jack and Martha might be able to give him some insight into this mystery. Throwing the switch, he stared as the TARDIS powered up and then shut down. "What?"

He set the controls again, and tried powering up, but nothing happened. There was barely enough light to see the console.

"Dad? What's going on?"

"Working on it." Tearing open the floor panel, he dropped down underneath and started going through the inner workings. "Is Rose still asleep?"

"Yeah. Do you need some help down there?"

"Yep. Grab that spanner on the way down, will you?"

She hopped down with him as he began trying to restore power. The Doctor shouted when a dim light showed at last. "That's not enough power to get us out of here, but at least we can see what we're doing up top," he said.

They climbed out only to face Rose. "Rose? Are you all right?"

"Can't forget."

"You can't forget what?" he asked.

"Can't forget Aelica."

"Aelica? Who's that?"

"Can't forget." Rose stared up at him with empty eyes. "Dead men can't talk, but they can remember."

"What?"

"You're dead, Doctor. I watched you die." She laughed, and the sound chilled him. "You remember what they said. They told us it was coming. Now it's come."

The cloister bell began chiming behind her. "Rose, what have you done?"

"Don't forget." She laughed again. "You can't forget."

"Rose?"

She screamed and clutched her stomach. The Doctor caught her as she fell. He put his hand over the baby mound. "She's having a contraction," he said. "We need to get her back to the medical bay."

Jenny ran ahead of him and got the table ready. "You know what to do, right?" she asked as he laid her on the table.

"Well, honestly, it's been a few centuries since I've been this close to it," he said. "Give me that scanner again!"

Rose writhed as he passed it over her. "She's releasing energy!"

"What kind?"

"Gamma radiation. She should be dead with the levels she's putting out." The Doctor frowned. "Stay with her! I'll be back!"

He raced from the room, heading for the controls. He quickly diverted some of the restored power to scan for a source of the power. Rose appeared on the monitor, but it was mirrored by a form outside the TARDIS. Frowning, he ran to the doors and threw them open.

The wind outside had died. In fact, it was so silent that the Doctor shuddered. He stepped outside and saw her.

"Who are you?"

"For all the good it does, you may call me Aelica."

"Rose spoke of you."

The woman smiled sadly. "I'm sorry that she's the one who's suffering in this."

"Do you know what's wrong with her?"

Aelica looked up at the night sky, seemingly unaffected by the frigid weather. "She is the cause of all this."

"What do you mean?"

She leveled the Doctor with a knowing look. "Timelines have been crossed."

"But I didn't affect anything with Jack," he said. "And besides, he knows what can happen when timelines are corrupted."

"There was one incident that started it all. A paradox that killed the Savior."

"Who's the Savior?" he asked. "Rose mentioned her, too."

"Donna Noble was the Savior."

"No!" The Doctor shuddered. "No! I wiped her mind so she wouldn't die! We even fought to keep her from remembering so that she would be able to live out a normal life! What happened?"

"She remembered." Aelica shook her head when she saw the Time Lord's face. "Donna Noble was destined to give her life in saving the universes. Her timeline ended. Rose saw it, but she didn't count on you."

"No! You can't tell me that me trying to help my friend is causing this," he said angrily. "So many people die because of me. _Any _one I can save is worth it!"

"Is it worth Rose losing her mind?"

"What?"

"The child in her womb is a paradox. It shouldn't exist." She smiled sadly. "Surely you've noticed."

"I saw that he has two hearts and the father only had one. Now what do you mean that Rose is losing her mind?"

"That parallel version of you was never supposed to survive. He and Donna are one, their lives linked. When she should've died after the defeat of Davros, he would've followed her." Aelica sighed. "He wasn't your problem to have to deal with."

"How can you know this?" the Doctor demanded.

"I know all about you, Time Lord. I know about the Time War, and the loss of Gallifrey. Its loss is still felt across time and space."

"Who are you?"

"I am Forgotten."

"Forgotten?"

She sighed. "As a people, we have no name. We walked on Gallifrey, conversing with the Time Lords. We are as tied to time as you are, Doctor. We just lack the abilities and technologies to manipulate time as you do."

"Then why have I never heard of you?" he asked.

"Our greatest defense is also our greatest curse. I believe the humans refer to it as out of sight, out of mind." Aelica smiled. "Even you won't remember this conversation once I'm gone."

"I don't know. I'm very clever."

"The greatest minds on Gallifrey couldn't remember us. Why else would there be no mention of us? Think about it."

"Then what good is this whole conversation going to do? I won't remember anything that is discussed, will I?" the Doctor asked with a sly grin.

There was a sadness to Aelica's smile. "You'll retain the knowledge of the conversation, but it'll simply seem like one of your own thoughts."

"I find that hard to believe," the Doctor said. "But you think you're so clever. How does this all play out then?"

"It's not so simple. The repercussions are spreading out, and they effects are getting worse. Your friends on Earth have exacerbated the situation. They are the reason that Rose ended up here."

"How did she cross the Void?"

"Your counterpart saw. He knew that he shouldn't have been there. He did what he could and sent Rose back to you. Unfortunately, although his efforts to send Rose back were successful, neither of them could anticipate that the Rift would be closed."

"He tried to send her back through the Rift?"

"The Time Agent prevented her from coming through there. Instead, she got shunted off to here."

A sudden thought occurred to him. "So, did he send Jenny to find her?"

"He did, eventually."

"What do you mean, eventually?" the Doctor asked.

"She was here for nearly two months on her own." Aelica looked toward the shelter where the Doctor had found Jenny and Rose. "Even in this state, she's not entirely stable."

"Well, given the gamma radiation she's emitting, I could blast her with background light and disburse the energy."

"That is simply treating a symptom." Aelica turned her face back toward the stars. "The universe will right itself. It's already started."

"Then why approach me now?" the Doctor asked. "If the universe is mending itself, then you wouldn't need me here. Because you are responsible for the power failure in the TARDIS, aren't you?" He stared at her, but she didn't speak. "So, if you really do need me here, the question is why? Is it because I caused this paradox? I don't think so." Pacing around, he kept glancing between the TARDIS and Aelica as he talked it out. "See, I think that there's been too much involvement from you to write off as a coincidence. Rose gets the boot to this bit of the galaxy and you just happen to be here?

"And where does Jenny play a role in all this? Nothing here is an accident. I found them right before Rose begins giving birth, which means that there is a reason for me to be here." He sighed and paused before continuing his pacing. "That means that we all have a role to play."

"I knew you were clever," Aelica said. "Of all the Time Lords, you were truly the only one with the potential to help."

"Yeah, well, I do what I can. But that doesn't explain the here and now. Jenny went back and saw Donna, which started her remembering. But she only saw her once. And she had nothing to do with the situation in the Medusa Cascade."

"You're talking yourself in circles, Doctor."

"Ah, but that's the best way to see the big picture. I find the dizziness helps. So, something about this planet at this time and these people is key."

Aelica sighed. "You're ignoring the one fact in front of you. You know what's going to happen as the paradox fixes itself and you don't want to see the consequences. That's one thing that you should've learned from your people. The Time Lords could understand that there were things that just couldn't be changed."

"No!" he said, stopping right in front of her and leaning into her face. "I cannot accept that!"

"And that's why you lose so many friends, Doctor." She looked at him with a mixture of exasperation and pity. "There are things that are impossible to change."

"And I do at least one impossible thing before breakfast," he said lightly. "Just telling me something's impossible makes me want to do it."

"Except when it came to finding Rose."

He opened his mouth but no words came forth.

"You left it to her to find a way back to you, not the other way. You missed her, but not enough to fight for her."

"She was better off over there with her family."

"You can keep telling yourself that, but when it came down to it, you were afraid."

"Yes. Fine. I'm a coward. I know that. I've admitted it to myself, my friends, even my enemies." The Doctor stared at her darkly. "But I'm right about her being with her family."

"Then you know what to do. Send her back."

"Oh, so that's it. I have to make a choice. Send her back so she'll hate me. How can I do that? She doesn't even have the other version of me over there now."

"But she'll die if she stays here."

He looked into Aelica's face, searching for a denial to the truth she'd just spoken. There was only sympathy and pain there instead. "No."

"Doctor, send her back. Save her life. She'll at least be alive to hate you."

"Now I see why you made sure Jenny was here," he said, the bitterness plain in his voice. "I assume you can restore the power so that I can complete this?"

"Yes." He felt more than heard the TARDIS power back up. "Don't think that any of this brought me pleasure."

"I won't remember it to blame you." With those parting words, he turned his back and walked into his ship.

Once inside, the Doctor frowned, looking around. Something had to have happened, because he was outside and then somehow all the power had been restored. Shaking his head, he walked to the controls. All he needed to do was to backtrack the radiation through the Void to get her back to her family.

"Dad! What's going on?" Jenny asked as she entered the control room. "I came in just a minute ago and you weren't here. Where'd you go?"

"I'm trying to trace that gamma radiation. We'll need it when we send Rose back."

"What? You're going to send her back now?"

"She'll die if she stays here."

"How do you know that?" When he didn't look at her, she rounded the console and stood in his way. "Dad. Tell me. What happened?"

He looked up at her. Opening his mouth, he closed it and frowned. "I don't know. I just know that she needs to go back. If she stays, she'll die."

"But how do you know this?" Jenny asked.

"I don't know. I just do."

She stood and stared at her father. "Don't you wonder where you got this information? I mean, doesn't it strike you as strange that somehow you know this?"

The Doctor stared at her. "Yeah."

"Well, then, let's do something about it." Jenny let out a snort of exasperation when he still hesitated. "Come on, Dad. I've seen how you look at her. And in the short time I've been with her, you're the one she asked for." She put her hands on her hips. "You love her, don't you?"

"It doesn't matter," he began.

"Yes, it does. Are you willing to fight for her?"

_Fight for her._ The Doctor blinked. "What?"

"Are you willing to fight for her?"

There was a long silence. "Yes."

"Then let's do it." She stared down at the controls. "So, what are we looking at?"

"Okay, Rose is pouring out gamma radiation, right? So, something has to be causing that." He slammed his hand on the controls. "All right. Jack has something to do with this. I know it. So off to Cardiff."

Setting the controls, he smacked the console with the rubber mallet. "Hold on!"

Jenny laughed in sheer glee as the TARDIS started shaking. He grinned back at her. When they settled into the vortex, he left her watching the controls and headed back to Rose. Standing beside her, he watched as she twisted and writhed. He grabbed her hand.

"Doctor?" she moaned.

"I'm here, Rose," he said, placing his hand on her head. "I'm here."

"Dad!" Jenny's voice drifted down the corridor.

He kissed her on the forehead before heading back to his daughter. "All right," he said as they were materializing. "Listen. We're going to meet an old friend of mine. He's, um, he's different."

"Let's worry about that later. Can he help with Rose?" she asked.

"Let's see." He went to the doors and pulled them open.


	11. Chapter 11

"Where the hell have you been?" Jack shouted. "The Rift is gone and power grids all over western Europe are failing."

"What do you mean, the Rift's gone?" the Doctor asked.

"It's gone, gone. We were trying to keep something from using the Rift to come through but after we did it, the Rift vanished and grids started cascading," Mickey said.

The Doctor raced over to Mickey's station and peered over his shoulder. "It was Rose coming through," he said. "Your countermeasure shot her out into the Danaeid Cluster."

"Rose? What was she doing traveling like that? She was supposed to be with you," Mickey said.

"She was with me. The other me back in the parallel universe," the Doctor said without looking up from Mickey's screen.

"What's it look like, Doc?" Jack asked, trying to peer over both men. "And who might you be?"

"Jenny, meet Jack Harkness. Jack, this is your one warning."

"Captain Jack Harkness. It's a pleasure," he said.

"We'll talk later," she whispered. Looking innocently at her father, she asked, "What about Rose?"

"Go get Martha and take her in to Rose." He nudged Mickey out of his seat and began typing furiously. "I'll see what we can do here. Oh, and don't forget to warn her about the radiation."

"Ianto! Take Jenny here to get Martha," Jack ordered. As Ianto and Jenny disappeared toward the lab, he leaned down to speak in the Doctor's ear. "So, what's really going on?"

"After I dropped you lot off, I took Jackie back to the parallel universe. And I left Rose and the other me there. And no comments about my decision, because there were reasons for it. Anyway, after I met up with you I found Jenny. She'd found Rose and had been taking care of her."

"So it's only been a few hours for you since you left us," Jack said. "It's been almost six months for us."

"Why did Rose come back, then?" Mickey asked.

"My counterpart died. His existence was tied to Donna."

"Wait. Donna's fine," Jack said.

The agony on the Time Lord's face let Jack know just how fine Donna was.

"How do you know?"

The Doctor shrugged. "Not quite sure."

Martha came running back through the Hub with Jenny and Ianto hard on her heels. For the first time, the Doctor realized just how precisely he'd landed the TARDIS. There really wasn't an excess of free floor space in here, but he had landed the ship in tighter quarters.

"Okay. Good job tracking that gamma radiation, Mickey." The Doctor frowned as he looked at the readings again. "There's something else there."

"What? I ran that against every type of radiation that we have on record, and the only thing I saw was the gamma rays," Mickey said defensively.

"That's because you can only access the records on Earth. Come on, Jack!"

The two men dashed into the TARDIS much like the others had just a moment earlier. The Doctor climbed down below the console and began digging out cable. "Run this out to Mickey's station and plug it in."

"Got it. Gwen!" Jack shouted. "You stand here and help get the cable out. Mickey, start wiring!"

"On it!"

"How long until it's wired in?" the Doctor asked.

"Five minutes, maybe," Mickey said, not bothering to look back.

"Jack, let me know when he's done." He walked back to the medical bay. Martha was working on Rose, while Jenny stood to one side and held her hand. He walked past Ianto, who was acting as nurse and handing Martha instruments. Rose's face was wet with sweat, her hair matted down onto her face. Her searching eyes found his as he drew close enough to her.

"I remember," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "I remember what she said. It's my fault."

"No, it's not," he said, wiping the tears off her face.

"Yes, it is." She smiled, and for the first time since he'd seen her, she looked in control of her senses. "Aelica was right. It is my fault." Looking toward the others, she said, "Just promise me one thing."

"Anything."

"Don't let me take anyone else with me."

"Rose, we'll find a way to fix this," the Doctor promised. He laced his fingers in between hers. "I promise."

A contraction gripped her, and she clamped her eyes shut and moaned.

"That's it, Rose. Don't fight it," Martha said. She glanced at the Doctor before concentrating on her patient again. "Just breathe. Pant if you need to. Just get through this contraction."

He got her message. Holding Rose's hand through the pain, he waited until it eased. "I need to go," he whispered to her.

"It's not your fault," she said fiercely. "Remember that. It's not your fault." Rose turned to Jenny. "You make him remember. Whatever happens to me is not his fault."

"I got it," she said.

The Doctor turned and almost ran from the room. Martha followed him out and caught him in the corridor. "Doctor!"

"What?"

"What's going on?" she asked.

"She's having a baby," he said. "Jenny told you about the radiation, right?"

"That's not why I'm concerned." She stood up as tall as she could to him. "That baby has two hearts!"

"I noticed."

"The last time I checked, you and Jenny were the only ones with hearts like that," she said.

"I know. Look, Martha, it's a long story and we don't have time to get into it right here."

She shot him a look that promised dire recompense if he didn't follow through. "I'll get her through this," she said and turned and left him alone.

"Doctor!" Jack shouted. "We've got it!"

Energized by a problem that he could handle, he raced back to the control room. "All right. We're going to have to carefully download this bit of the TARDIS's computers into yours. We do too much or too fast, it'll burn out your system. Got it?"

"Yeah," came from both Mickey and Jack.

The Doctor accessed the files containing the radiation types and started the data transfer. "All right. You got it?"

"Not yet. Still transferring," Mickey said.

"Now?"

"Got it!"

He ran back out to Mickey's station. "You can go ahead and unhook those," he said, pointing to the cables. The new information came up when he typed it in. "That's it!"

"What's it?"

The Doctor brought up the same radiation spikes that Mickey had seen, but then he turned the two-dimensional graph into three. "See this spike hiding under the gamma rays?" he asked.

"Yeah. I've never seen anything like that," Mickey said.

"It's an omega wave."

"Doctor, that's theoretical, even in my century," Jack said. "That can't be right."

"Oh, that's what it is." He bounded from the seat and began pacing around. "An omega wave explains how he got her across the Void without tearing down the universe walls. Of course, the risk was less this time since the original fracture would've been healed." The Doctor paused mid-step and shot the two an odd look. "I think that's the first time the Daleks actually fixed something rather than destroying it. Of course, it was completely accidental, but still…"

"Doctor! Is this going anywhere useful?" Jack asked.

"Yes," he said, resuming his pacing. "That's explains why Rose can be putting off such high levels of gamma radiation without it killing her. The omega wave isn't riding on the gamma rays, it's the other way around. Since the gamma radiation is the rider, it's being controlled with the omega wave." Seeing their confusion, he explained. "It's like an electric wire. If you were to touch a copper wire carrying current, you would get electrocuted. However, add just a thin plastic coating…"

"It's insulating the harmful radiation," Mickey concluded. "Great for Rose. But what does that mean for the rest of us? And why did the Rift disappear?"

A familiar manic grin lit the Doctor's face. "That's the beauty of it. It didn't."

"Hate to correct you, Doctor, but there's nothing here," Jack said as he headed to the manipulator. "See for yourself."

"All right. It did disappear, but only to your instruments. The Rift is still here, right where it's always been. The omega wave just masking the energies that you use to track it."

"But what about the power loss?"

The Doctor frowned. "That's a tougher one. Your dampening countermeasures must have created some sort of power surge." He ran back into the TARDIS and ran a scan. "That's odd."

"What?"

"This whole complex is charged." He frowned. "Mickey, what was the frequency that you used?"

"Just a second," Mickey said. "630 tHz."

"That's just blue light. Now why did it do that?" Jack asked, shaking his head in confusion.

"Blue light, blue light. Mickey, why did you pick that?"

"I know that gamma radiation can be stopped by diffuse background light. I just flooded the Rift with low levels of light."

"That's it!" the Doctor shouted. "By using one frequency instead of several, you just focused the radiation outward. That's why Rose ended up in a different galaxy. And why the Rift disappeared. Don't you see?"

"Is a bit like Shroedinger's cat?" Gwen asked, drawing attention to herself for the first time.

"Give the lady a prize," the Doctor laughed. "Although I have to say that his poor cat has been through a lot."

"Doctor! Point?"

"You shone light on an active energy transfer, therefore adding radiant energy. You held a match to dry tinder. _That's _why the power grids started failing. You created a huge surplus of electricity and the power plants couldn't handle it." He grinned again. "The omega wave, the gamma rays, and the inherent mélange of spatial and temporal energy in the Rift were stable enough until you added the light. And that's what's causing this place to be charged."

"Come on, Doc! How do we fix this?"

"All right, that part's not quite so simple." The Doctor sighed. "Or, more technically, it's simple but rather dangerous. I believe that you've already seen it at work, Jack." He raised his eyebrows suggestively. "With Margaret the Slitheen?"

"You're talking about opening the heart of the TARDIS again."

"Let's get to it, then," Mickey said.

"All right. I need everyone outside when I try this," the Doctor said. "Jack, go get everyone out of the TARDIS. I need someone to lower the shield settings on the Rift."

"Gwen!"

"I've got it, Jack." The woman took her place by the manipulator. "How low do you need, Doctor?"

"Take it to 75 percent, but not until everyone else is out."

A low scream startled Mickey and Gwen. "That was Rose. What's wrong?" he asked.

"She's in labor."

"Labor? As in, she's having a baby, labor?"

"Not now, Mickey!" the Doctor shouted. "I need you to monitor the radiation levels. The Rift should become visible to your system as the TARDIS equalizes the radiation."

Jack ran out of the door, carrying Rose. He was followed by Martha and Ianto as they all headed for Martha's lab. Jenny brought up the rear. When she saw her father, she hesitated.

"Go with her," he said. "We can handle this."

She hugged him quickly and followed the others. The Doctor sighed. "All right, Gwen. Take the shields down in three, two, one!"

There was an odd hum as the Rift made itself known to the three left in the main room of the Hub. The Doctor ran his hand silently over the console and then popped open the same panel that had opened so obligingly for Margaret. He carefully kept his eyes away from the golden light shining outward.

As the Doctor stood there, words started picking at his memory. He couldn't remember who said them, which concerned him. Rose said something about not letting her take anyone with her. A flash of insight shot panic through him. He tore out of the TARDIS and in the direction where Rose had been taken.

"Stop!" he shouted as he ran into the railing above Martha's work area. "I need Rose with me!"

"What?" Martha asked.

"Just trust me." He ran down the ramp. Rose was nearly unconscious as he slid his arms under her. Lifting her as carefully as he could, he walked back to the TARDIS. He stopped at the doors. "Leave us alone in here."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah."

Jenny saw the look on his face. "Come on. Give Dad some space."

"All right. Now that's just bizarre to hear that name applied to that particular alien," Jack said, drawing a nervous laugh from his colleagues. "Come on back this way, guys."

Leaving the doors open, the Doctor walked to the jump seat and sat, carefully avoiding the open panel. Cradling Rose against him, he whispered in her ear. "I am so sorry about this. All of this."

"Doctor?" she asked, opening her eyes to look at him. "It doesn't hurt anymore."

When the monitor told him that the radiation levels had been restored to normal, he stood and sat Rose in the seat. Running to the door, he said, "Gwen, raise the shield settings."

"Is it done?"

"Yeah." He noticed that the doors slammed behind him but didn't stop. "Rose."

"I'm sorry that I caused such a problem," she said with a sad smile. "I didn't mean to be a bother."

"You're never a bother, Rose. Not now, not when you got in trouble, not even when I died for you." He held her tightly.

"But I'm a paradox. I know what happens to paradoxes." She looked up at him. "Let the reapers get me. That'll take care of everything."

"No. The reapers won't take you," he said. "I promise that they won't."

"I loved him, you know. He wasn't quite you, but I still loved him," she confessed with tears in her eyes. "I think he even knew it wasn't quite as much."

"Don't say that, Rose."

"I have to. Doctor, I love you. And I don't care that you can't say it. I just needed you to know."

"Rose Tyler, I love you, too."

Her eyes widened at the barely audible words. She felt for his hand, squeezing it tightly. "Now I can go," she said with a brilliant smile.

Neither of them noticed that the panel on the console was still open. The golden light still spilled out, and like a fog, began gathering in the room. The cloud thickened around the two of them until they finally saw it simultaneously.

"What?"

"_The child in her womb is a paradox. It shouldn't exist."_ The Doctor heard the words in a feminine voice as the final pieces of the puzzle fit together. "Oh, Rose, I'm so sorry," he said as the gold smoke began engulfing her.

"Doctor, what's going on?"

"Please don't hate me."

"Doctor?"

He was physically pushed away from her as, for just a moment, Bad Wolf showed herself again. Fear tasted bitter in his mouth as he watched the paradox was righted. Rose stared at him with those shining eyes, and he began preparing himself to regenerate again. As soon as the energy evaporated, he stepped back to her and grabbed her by the shoulders. His kiss was desperate as he tried to pull the energy out of her.

After a moment, he pulled back and frowned. Rose grinned up at him. "Hello."


	12. Chapter 12

"Hello." His response was one of complete confusion.

"Much nicer than last time, huh? You know, no Daleks, no end of the world, and no regeneration." She pulled him back down and kissed him again.

"What was that for?" he asked, stunned.

"That was a thank you for not sending me home." Rose ran her hands down her stomach, and he saw her face fall.

"Oh, Rose. I'm sorry about the baby," he said softly.

"He was a paradox." Her voice was casual, but he saw the tears in her eyes. "Look at me. I'm a mess. Do I still have anything here that I can change into?"

The Doctor heard the tears coming and pulled her in as the sobs overtook her. She shook against him, and he just held her as she cried. Time didn't matter while she purged her grief. As the sobs dwindled to hiccups, he looked down at her face.

"Oh, I'm such a mess," she said, her voice still hoarse from her crying.

"You're beautiful."

"Considering?" she asked with a tiny smile on her face.

"No. You're beautiful." He hugged her tightly. "Your room is just how you left it."

"Thanks." She brushed her tangled hair back self-consciously. "I'll be back."

The room felt empty when she left, but for the first time in a long time, the Doctor knew that she would be back. A smile sneaked onto his face. He shouldn't feel this happy, but he did.

Rose had been gone nearly fifteen minutes before he noticed the knocking. Or rather the pounding on the doors of the TARDIS. He opened the door and stared in surprise at the mob outside. "What?"

"What's going on? Where's Rose?"

"Oh." He stared back toward the corridor where Rose had vanished down. "Give us some time, all right? We'll explain as soon as we can." The Doctor ducked back inside and slammed the door, hoping that the TARDIS could keep it closed until he was sure Rose was ready to face everyone. There were enough out there with keys that being invaded was a realistic fear.

When the beating on the door resumed, he headed back through the ship. Once beyond the control room, the noise vanished. Heading toward his own little-used bedroom, he noticed that Rose's room had been moved to right beside his. Her door wasn't completely closed, and he could see through the opening that Rose was dressed. He knocked lightly.

"Come in." She was sitting on her bed, which was still rumpled from the morning before the events of Canary Wharf. "I can't believe that after all this time, everything's still the same," she said as she struggled to get a hairbrush through the snarls.

"May I?" he asked as he held out his hand for the brush. She handed it to him and he sat behind her. After a silent moment, he spoke. "We got the radiation levels corrected out there."

"Good," she said. "Since when do you know how to do this?"

He ignored her question. "Rose, by doing that, we erased the traces across the Void. I'm sorry."

"Doctor, how many times are you going to make me choose?" she asked. "The only reason I stayed over there as long as I did was because you asked me to."

"No. I'm not trying to send you back. I'm just telling you that I'm sorry you won't see your family again."

"Wait. You're not?" She spun around and winced when she ripped her hair out of his hands. "So this isn't some kind of protect me for my own good thing? You're not sending me back?"

"No, I'm not sending you back." He grinned when she squealed and hugged him. "I'm just letting you know that I can't send you back."

"Is that the only reason I'm still here?" she asked suspiciously.

"No. I've had enough people tell me that I'm a stupid ape for making decisions for you. You came back, so I need to face the fact that you're here for good."

She threw herself into his arms again, knocking him back against the head of her bed. His shock allowed her the opportunity to kiss him. When she would've pulled away, he wound his fingers into her half-dry hair and held her against him. He kissed her, this time being in complete control. When they broke apart this time, she was panting.

"Same face, same smell, same taste, but oh, so different," she whispered with a smile. "My Doctor."

"Oh," he said, sitting up quickly. "Um, you might want to finish here. I think there are a few people outside who are in need of some explanations."

"Just a moment." She traced his jaw with her finger before kissing him again. "Now I need to get ready."

The Doctor found himself standing outside her door. Shaking his head, he headed back to the control room. The pounding was still present, but he ignored it until he felt Rose enter the room.

She had grown up. The clothes still fit her, but somehow they looked out of place with her mature face. "I think I need to go shopping," she said with an apologetic grimace.

He nodded before looking toward the door.

"You weren't kidding, then, were you?" she said. "Let's go face them."

They both opened the doors, which threw the mob outside into silence. One look at Rose, though, and the questions flew again. A piercing whistle from Mickey stemmed the noise.

"All right! Before everyone starts up again, I suggest we find somewhere more comfortable," the Doctor said in the silence.

"Conference room," Gwen and Jack said at the same instant.

"Lead on, then."

Ten minutes later, they were all seated around the large table. Ianto had supplied drinks before slipping into a seat of his own. The Doctor looked around the table at the expectant faces. "I know that you all have questions, but it'll make more sense if we tell the story from the beginning."

He waited until he got nods from all present before he started speaking. With as few words as possible, he detailed the second trip to Darlig Ulv Stranden and the reasons behind it. Rose added the vital bits of her time over there before she traveled back to this universe. When they were done, they opened the floor to questions.

"I see that it wasn't the Doctor, the real Doctor, who was the father, but I have to ask, what happened to the baby?" Martha asked.

"He was a paradox. He was never supposed to exist," Rose said, her voice low and emotional.

"So, one minute you're pregnant and the next you're not?"

"That's about it," the Doctor said, feeling Rose's hand seeking his under the table. He squeezed her hand. "Next?"

"Rose, you're back here? For good?" Mickey asked.

"Yeah. The Doctor closed that door. I'll miss Mum and Pete, but they knew that this was it. They were actually the ones who sent me back after he died." She glanced at the Doctor before giving Mickey back her full attention. "So, yeah. I'm back for good."

He stared at her long enough to make her squirm a bit before grinning and leaving his seat to hug her. "At least I'll be able to see you every now and then."

"Oh, yes. The universe is definitely too small for us to coexist and _not_ run into each other," the Doctor said dryly.

"I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but just after the Cardiff power station went back on line, we got a call from Mrs. Noble," Ianto said quietly. "Donna Noble collapsed at her wedding and died."

The room grew silent. "We'll represent you at the funeral, Doctor," Jack said, for once serious.

"Thank you, Jack."

"Look, we should really let you go," Martha said.

Rose stood up and swayed slightly. The Doctor stood and supported her without seeming to. "There are still a few things that need to be taken care of," he said, uncharacteristically diplomatic.

The Doctor's familiarity with Rose didn't go unnoticed to Jack, Jenny, or Martha. The only one who seemed unaffected by the closeness was Mickey, who cast his ex-girlfriend a very knowing look and a cheeky wink. When the rest of them stood and began breaking up into smaller groups, Jenny pulled Rose off by herself. "Listen, I'm going to stay here for a bit," she said.

"Oh, no. Please come with us," Rose said in protest.

"You and Dad need some time alone," Jenny said. "Besides, I know that you need some time to recover."

Rose hugged the girl. "I do appreciate that. But you need to join us. It's an experience like no other."

"I know. I love the running," she said with a bright grin.

"All right. I'll give you my mobile number and whenever you're ready for some adventure, then just give me a ring. This will reach anywhere in time or space." Rose jotted the number on a bit of paper and handed it to Jenny. "I'm just glad the Doctor's not alone any more."

"No, he's not. He's got you."

Rose stood and stared as the blonde bounced off. She saw the flirtatious grin Jenny gave both Jack and Ianto, drawing a leer from one and a blush from the other, before walking off jauntily.

"Oh, she's going to wreak havoc with them, isn't she?" the Doctor said as he leaned over Rose's shoulder.

"Of course. She _is_ your daughter."

"Let's go while the others are distracted," he said.

"Yeah."

The TARDIS dematerializing finally caught the attention of the Torchwood crew, but they were already gone. Rose closed her eyes and leaned against the padded railing, listening to the sounds of the ship in the vortex.

"Go rest, Rose," the Doctor said, the order clear even though his voice was soft. "You need it."

She nodded and left the control room. Although he was alone in the room, he had a smile on his face. Rose's presence resonated through the ship.

A change in the pitch of the engines drew his gaze up to the green glowing column. "I still have something to do, don't I?" he asked. Listening for the answer, even though he didn't need it, he set the coordinates and took the TARDIS out of the vortex. He took the time to check on Rose, who was curled into a ball asleep on her bed. Sighing, he closed the door silently. This was going to be difficult and she'd gone through enough to want to spare her this.

"It took you long enough."

The Doctor ignored the gruffness in the tone, recognizing the tears underneath as the cause. "I'm sorry." He took his customary seat beside Wilf and let the old man take the lead.

The two of them sat and stared up at the stars for a while. "She had a message for you," he finally said.

"What?"

It took another couple minutes before Wilf could speak. "She remembered. She said to tell you that she remembered it all."

"I'm sorry. I did everything I could for her," the Doctor said.

"I know that. Smart move, by the way, not showing up at the funeral. Sylvia blames you."

"She should."

"Nonsense! You did Donna good. I've told you before, and I stand by my words." He sighed shakily. "It's hard to keep reminding myself of it, but I do try. And she was so happy at the end, though. She was happy with those memories."

"It is my fault, though."

"Oh, no, it isn't!" a female voice said, cutting through the night. "Doctor, Donna's death is not your fault."

Wilf stared up in shock at the blonde who had just appeared. "You!"

"Rose, you should be sleeping," the Doctor said, starting to stand.

She shook her head at the Doctor before going to stand in front of Wilf. "I'm sorry for your loss, but you need to be grateful for the extra time you had with your granddaughter. Donna was supposed to die in that battle."

"What?" the old man asked.

She missed the look of shock that the Doctor shot her as she continued to the old man. "The Doctor changed her timeline, and in doing so, gave you more time with Donna." Rose sank down onto her knees in front of him. "Her timeline ended at the hands of the Daleks."

He opened and closed his mouth several times, unable to respond to her words. The Doctor stared at Rose, an inscrutable look on his face.

"Don't dishonor her memory. She died a hero. If it wasn't for Donna, none of us would be here. She saved us all."

Tears spilled down her face as Wilf suddenly leaned forward and hugged her. "Thank you," he sobbed. "Thank you."

Rose clung to him, trying to support the old man. "I lost someone too," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "So believe me, I know how you feel."

"I've been a selfish, foolish old man."

"That's your right. You're grieving," Rose told him. "Now, it's your turn to help her mother."

"I will. I will." He pulled out an oversized handkerchief and wiped his face clean. "I really will."

The Doctor cleared his throat. "I think we need to be going."

"Oh, yes." Wilf struggled to his feet and gave her a hand up before hugging Rose again. "Now you promise me something."

"Of course."

He pointed at the Time Lord standing beside them. "You take care of him. He needs it."

"I will. I promise," Rose said with a slight smile on her face.

Wilf snapped to attention, granting the Doctor the same salute that he'd given him before. The Doctor nodded, dropping his gaze as Rose stepped to his side and took his hand. "Thank you."

The travelers turned and entered the blue box, and Wilf kept saluting until the TARDIS had completely gone.

Inside, the Doctor took them back into the vortex. As soon as they were settled, he turned to Rose. "Now go," he said, pointing back toward the bedrooms. "You're going to rest this time."

A flash of Rose's old fire lit her face. "Don't blame me this time. I was sound asleep when the TARDIS woke me up."

"All right then. I'll just have to go with you and make sure that you stay asleep this time," the Doctor said. "March."

"Yes, sir," she said sarcastically. She turned and stalked back to her room.

The Doctor could see the anger in her steps, but as they got to their respective doors, he stopped her and pulled her into a hug. She held herself stiffly against him, subtly resisting the embrace. "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

He smiled at the obvious suspicion in her voice. "For ordering you around. You're a grown woman. You can make your own decisions."

"And I choose this," she said as she looked up at him. It didn't take much coaxing to bring his head down low enough for her to kiss him.

He kept it short and ignored her groan of frustration. "We need to talk," he said, his voice rough.

"Fine."

"So, your room or mine?"

She looked up at his teasing grin. "Mine. I miss my bed." Rose led the way into her bedroom. She kicked off her shoes and pulled off her tee shirt before she froze. "Sorry," she said, quickly snatching it back up and holding it in front of her, although her bra still showed around it. "I got way too used to doing that, I guess."

The Doctor quickly looked away as she finished changing her clothes. "It's safe now," she said, quickly climbing under the blankets.

His suit jacket and trainers joined hers. He turned the light off, leaving just one lamp on. They lay stiffly next to each other for a while, not quite sure how to proceed.

"How did you know about Donna?" he asked.

Rose sighed. "Remember when she saw that fortune teller? When we were trying to help her correct that, our equipment saw that she didn't have long to live."

"So, he figured out what was coming?" the Doctor asked.

She nodded against his shoulder. "When Donna had her first headache, he started having really bad nightmares. Well, worse than normal. He never would tell me anything, but since then I've figured out that as she deteriorated, so did he. They really were tied together." Rolling over on her side facing him, she cautiously put her arm across his chest. "Since he knew he was dying, he and Dad rigged something up to get me back over here." He could hear the disapproval in her voice when she spoke again. "He really was like you. Kept everything to himself. Had to do it his way."

The Doctor heard the accusation in her words. Seeking to apologize somehow, he intertwined his fingers with hers, and they watched as the joined hands rose and fell with his breaths.

"I guess you want to hear the whole story now, right?"

"Only what you feel you're ready to talk about," he said.

Rose wiggled her fingers against his and nestled her face on his shoulder. "We need to do this more often." She sighed and closed her eyes.

The Doctor waited until her breathing had evened out. Gently kissing the top of her head, he rolled toward her, pulling her into his arms. He settled her comfortably before letting his own eyes close.

The sound of two heartbeats filtered into Rose Tyler's dreams, and she smiled.

_A/N: This is it. I know there are a few things that weren't tied up with a big red bow, but I like to leave a bit there for possible sequels. I may follow up with another one eventually, but for now, this plot bunny is no more. It has ceased to be. It's expired and gone to meet... You guys know the rest. Thanks to everyone who reviewed. And really big thanks to you Brits for not sending nasty notes to the American attempting to play with your show. ashleezak_


End file.
